Shadows of a Love
by WhitmanFrostFiend
Summary: The Curse is broken. So is the illusion of a marriage that Regina and David had shared. David rejects his Queen for Snow. Can Regina find a second chance with Robin or is she still clinging to the shadows of her Cursed life?
1. Broken Curses

**This is my first story, so please don't be too harsh! I promise this is not the same as "Into the Deep" with the whole EC married during the Curse element. I have a very dramatic plot roughly mapped out, so fasten your seat belts! Thank you and hopefully enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I claim no ownership over any part of Once Upon a Time. All I own are the unique details/plot of this story. Therefore, I recognize that this fic diverges from canon. My story is available for the sole purpose of entertainment. Additionally, I have no beta or assistance in writing, so any mistakes or clumsy writing is my own.**

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CHAPTER 1: Broken Curses

* * *

He stared at her in disbelief.

 _No, David. Please don't look at me like that! It's not the Evil Queen. It's your wife. Your wife of 25 years. Standing in front of you. It's Regina, the woman who loves you. Please…_

Any small sliver of hope that she was holding deep within disappeared, as Mary Margaret – _the ever-insipid little Snow_ , she thought bitterly – came barreling down the street.

"Charming!"

Snow launched herself at her long estranged husband, who only half caught her because he was still standing like a statue, with looks of shock, panic, and betrayal flashing across his face. Snow did not notice and continued her assault with a passionate kiss.

That finally jolted David out of his temporary catatonic state. He turned his head for a split second to face Snow, giving her a smile that made Regina feel like her heart was slowly being fractured.

 _Is all you see her, now that the Curse is broken? Look at me. But you don't want me anymore now that you remember, do you? You and Snow found a way back together._

He snapped his head back to face her. Gone were the flitting emotions. His face – it shocked her. It had settled into something she, as the Evil Queen, had pointed at many of her victims – it was that mask, that stony cold façade.

But her sweet Prince could not hold the ice like she could. All she could see or feel was the stormy anger and sadness radiating off him like tidal waves. The ferocity of those emotions threatened to bowl the Queen over where she stood.

"Can you believe we found each other after this long separation? Of course you could! I will always find you!"

Snow laughed out of sheer joy and relief, throwing her head back, oblivious to the horror that both Regina and David were feeling. Snow kissed David again with great enthusiasm and then continued by planting small pecks all over his face.

"David, all these years… It doesn't even matter! We are together again at last! Our family is reunited! David! We have Emma! We have our daughter back! Let's go find her! We can…"

Only then did Snow look up. The grief-stricken face her husband wore had been missed when she had been prattling on with excitement – but not anymore. Snow craned her neck, twisting to look back and forth between Regina and David.

Her face registered the shock she felt at the deep emotion she saw etched on both of their faces. Then Snow remembered. She gasped.

"Snow…" David started. Snow's head snapped back to him. "Snow… You know, with this Curse… We…" Snow looked ready to cry.

Regina just stood there. She no longer hoped, but she anticipated. _What will he say? Get on with it! Snow. David. Just say something!_

"Snow, I know this is not a pleasant situation and most definitely awkward. But…"

Snow held up her hand and cut him off. "There's no need."

Snow looked at David, then Regina, and then scanned Main Street, diverting her gaze and giving them all breathing space. She gulped in as much air as her lungs would allow and started speaking.

But Regina did not hear. Not a word. _What was he going to say? What is he thinking? What will he do? Oh, David!_

All of Regina's attention was placed on her husband – no, on Charming. She searched his face for any hint as to the future of their relationship.

 _Please don't be brutal, my love. I know you will break my heart, as you already have just by the emotions on your face. But please, be gentle. Please…_

David had been listening to Snow reassure him. Actually, her words were more generalized platitudes, probably to ground herself more than to comfort him.

David then took a quick glance at Regina. That beautiful face. That woman that he had called his own, his love, his wife, for half of his literal (not biological) lifetime.

He shook his head rapidly, as if trying to exorcise the Curse part of his life and the Curse-given wife he had just seconds before admired.

David clenched his fists.

Regina knew her husband like she knew herself. They were one. She had loved this man and shared a life with him for over two and a half decades. She picked up on the tension emanating from her love.

She longed for his comfort. For words of love. She wanted to say something. She really wanted to remind David of her undying love for him and to beg him to stay.

But she remained still. Regina knew that any words she could offer would be taken as lies. The Curse had broken and with it broke any trust David had placed in her during their long marriage. She knew she had to wait for him to make the next move.

 _The ball is in your court, darling. Remember our life together. Don't throw it away! Don't…_

Her inner dialogue was halted. "Snow, we need to leave now!"

 _What are you doing, David?!_ Regina stared at him, expecting him to yell at her. A confrontation. Questions. Accusations. Yelling. Anything!

But David turned on his heel and headed towards Granny's Diner. Snow hurriedly chased after him, but not before throwing Regina a look that flickered with confusion, hatred, and finally landing on pity.

 _The nerve of that girl! I may have lost David now. Snow may have won him back. But how dare she look at me that way! I will not be pitied by anyone!_

Regina choked back the floodgates of tears and emotions that threatened to overtake her. She walked briskly until she turned the corner and ran to her car, wanting to escape to the confines of her Mifflin Street fortress as soon as possible.

 _I may have lost my love, but I will not lose my dignity!_

As for David, he turned around right before he and Snow reached the diner. He ached to see his dark haired beauty if only for a second.

She was already gone. What did it matter? He hated her. Why did he need to see her? He hated her.

 _Hate. I hate her!_ Or so he told himself.

* * *

 **P.S. Let me know what you think! I know what I want to happen in this story but welcome prompts away from this story or small situations that you would like to see here.**

 **Preview: Soon, Regina and David will have a confrontation. And how is Snow going to take David having been married to Regina for 25 year?! Yikes! Until next time!**


	2. Everything Leads Back to HER

Chapter 2: Everything Leads Back to _HER_

* * *

"The Curse is broken! Now I can finally be away from you!" Henry shouted, launching himself from the couch and heading toward the front door.

Regina had just arrived home. One minute, she had a loving husband. She had a family. Granted, Henry had been mad at her – and extremely moody – for quite a while, since he had found out he was adopted. But he still ate family dinners at home, even if silence was directed at her and much animated chatter was still shared with David. Henry had still begrudgingly listened to her when she had told him to brush his teeth, to do his homework, or to go to bed. Sometimes, Henry would still even display excitement for their ritual Saturday movie and pizza night.

 _No more Henry and no more David._ Regina sighed. The realization made her want to curl up in her bed and never leave.

During the whole car ride home, Regina had been fighting back an onslaught of anxiety and overwhelming sadness. The monotonous solitary ride was spent wiping furiously at stray tears, trying futilely not to let her mind wander to thoughts of David reuniting with his beloved Snow, and attempting to guide her Mercedes down the streets of Storybrooke without killing herself. She came very close to her demise when she almost hit Pongo, having distractedly driven up onto the sidewalk. All the while, she was also torturing herself with a beautiful and impossible fantasy – wishing and hoping that David would chase her down in his pickup truck, fling the car door open, scoop her into his strong arms, and reassure her that their love for each other would be strong enough to keep them together.

Then she pulled up to the mansion. No longer a home – just an empty building. She had anticipated the sanctuary her bedroom would provide in which she would finally break down in privacy. Instead, her little boy was waiting for her.

 _I cannot believe I forgot to pick him up from school. Even if the Curse did break. Just one more small piece of evidence Miss Swan and the town can use to take Henry away from me. No matter. My baby is home!_

For a moment, Regina was almost giddy, thinking maybe she could weather the storm of losing David if she had Henry back. But it was not to be.

"Henry, I…" Regina almost choked, feeling like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on her tired shoulders.

She braved onward. "My little Prince, I know you hate me. I know you only see me as the Evil Queen. I lied to you. That was wrong of me. I was afraid if you found out the truth that I would lose you. Instead, by keeping the truth from you, I pushed you away with both hands. I should have…"

"You made me think I was crazy!" Henry interrupted, shouting in her face.

Regina flinched. The Evil Queen never flinched in the face of hardship or pain. But the Evil Queen also never felt very much remorse for setting an entire village ablaze. _All in the name of Snow White. Daniel did not deserve to die! She deserved to be punished for what she did! Yet somehow, that pesky nitwit still managed to evade me and the Black Guards for years. Today, she has stolen yet another love away from me!_

"You are ignoring me! I know you can never change, but I thought what you were saying meant you could at least have one honest talk with me!"

Regina realized her deep-seated pain from long ago had her into oblivion. She redirected her attention to Henry, who was fuming.

"Henry, I promise I am not ignoring you. It's just been a tough day. Stop!" She held up her hands in resignation. "I know all of it – the Curse – is my fault. I have done many horrible things in my life. But the best thing I ever did was bringing you home. You are my son! No matter how you feel. I will always love you!"

Her eyes misted over. She wanted to reach for him, but she knew any attempt at affection would only be met with the recoil that had become standard since Miss Swan had come to town.

Henry was a young boy of ten years old, but not too young to pick up on his mother's body language. Her head had dipped. Her shoulders were slumped. Her gaze was unfocused and watery. Momentarily, Henry forgot that the Evil Queen was standing in front of him. He just saw his mother. He missed his mom.

 _Don't let the Evil Queen trick you! Snap out of it! Operation Cobra is back in play,_ Henry ran over in his mind.

"How was the Curse broken?"

The sudden question snapped the forlorn brunette mother out of her sad daze. She straightened her spine and looked up at her son. "I truly do not know. David picked me up from my office and was taking me for a late lunch at the diner, when that iridescent light swept down the street. Then I remembered."

 _I remembered. Then David remembered._ The image of David's face – that haunting, penetrating countenance of hurt and loathing. The sight had been seared into her brain. Regina was sure her love's blinding stare would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Henry stared at her thoughtfully and then narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "I don't believe you! You never tell me the truth! I want my real mom!"

With those hurtful declarations, although they had become regular but no less cutting phrases to Regina, Henry grabbed his backpack and bolted out the front door.

"Henry, wait!"

Henry did not turn around and did not slow down. Regina locked the front door and chased after him.

 _No matter what, you will always be my son._

* * *

"Who broke the Curse?"

Henry wasn't the only curious individual. _That_ was the infernal question plaguing the mind of every resident of Storybrooke.

While Regina was battling her internal demons and Henry's question, David and Snow were sitting in a booth at the diner, waiting for Ruby to bring out their food.

"I honestly have no idea," David responded, looking down glumly.

 _That stupid Curse. Why has half my life suddenly become a lie? The best parts of my life, too. My favorite memories are those I spent with my… no, with Regina, and they are fake. I hate everything about this day! Why did she have to cast the Curse?_

He shook his head. _But then I would have never lo- truly known her. Who just had to break the Curse? Why, oh why, did that have to ever happen?_

Snow sat on her side of the table, awkwardly fidgeting and trying to read David's pensive mood.

"So, Prince Charming, what heroic deeds have you done lately while we've been apart these last twenty-eight years?" Snow attempted to bring some levity to the conversation, but it was lost on her companion.

"Oh… hmm?" David was brought back to the present. It was his turn to take in the person across the table. _That's the Snow I know. She's got fire back._ David grinned.

"David…" Snow sighed, shooting him a wry smile.

"No. I did hear your question. Let me tell you of my dashing good deeds. I helped Henry with his science experiment last month – collecting different bugs. I took Henry and his friend Ava to the park. Old Mr. Simon brought his pit bull Brutus. Ava was quivering with fear when Brutus started running toward her. I chased the dog away."

"It seems to me all these valiant rescues have to do with animals. Back home, you seemed to dislike riding your steed Thunderbolt very much, even though you were supposed to be my Knight in Shining Armor." Snow teased him, giggling.

In a playful manner, David retorted indignantly, "I'll have you know, Princess Snow, that I am not a knight but a shepherd and Prince Charming. Besides, I thought you weren't very fond of horses either. For quite a bit of your youth, I might add."

"I loved my horse, Rosie!" Snow declared.

"You were a teen when you got Rosie. Your dear Johanna told me that when you were a child, you only visited the stables when your father rode with you or strongly urged you too."

"I guess you're right. I forgot about that. It's just that Rosie was probably my best friend when I was a teenager. And I was never afraid of her." Snow beamed speaking of the stallion she had owned as a teen, and she drifted into a state of reverent remembrance. "I hadn't had my own horse before Rosie. Father thought I could get more comfortable riding on the large old slow boys who were veterans of the stables. But those horses, for some reason, scared me. Can you imagine?! Those horses that were about to be put out to pasture…"

Snow continued recounting her recollections, smiling softly. "One day, my distant cousin Alistair, who was visiting, forced me to leave the palace grounds with him and go exploring the countryside. He dared me to race him, that rascal!

"But I got separated from Alistair. My horse was galloping at full speed and would not stop. I was so terrified! To make it worse, we hadn't been paying attention to where we were, and we had traveled so far away from the castle. Suddenly…"

Snow froze, as her eyes snapped wide open. She turned to look cautiously at David.

David knew this story, vaguely from what Snow had told him years before the Curse and from what Henry had read to him from his story book. "You don't have to continue if you're not comfortable. But can you at least tell me how you transitioned from being frightened of horses to having your horse as your best friend?"

"She…" Snow cleared her throat and continued with trepidation. " _She_ saved me from my horse. Her riding skills were unmatched in the Kingdom, except for maybe Father's best knights. She was my hero."

Both Snow and David looked uncomfortable, temporarily avoiding eye contact with each other.

"Anyway, I was shaken by the ordeal and told her I never wanted to ride again. She said to hush and be brave. I told her that I didn't want to be brave if I had to get back on a horse. She answered me by saying we are bravest when we fear something but we march on anyway."

At this, Snow smiled. She glanced at David and frowned. David also felt happiness from hearing about a compassionate Regina. The woman he knew – or thought he had known – was caring and had the biggest heart. But even when he had been under the Curse, David had sensed his wife was bearing the burden of much hidden pain from her past. She definitely was not the girl in Snow's old memory anymore.

"David. David! Do you want to hear the rest?" Snow tilted her head and looked down her nose. "Okay. So I was scared but decided I could be brave if Re- _she_ would help me. So she lifted me onto the back of her horse Rocinante and rode right behind me. We even went full speed ahead that day and over a few small jumps. I wasn't scared because she was there.

"Two years later on my name day, I knew exactly what gift I was hoping for. Father usually treated me with gowns, jewels, and trips with him across the Kingdom. I was happily presented with my horse. I think _she_ was behind convincing Father that giving me my own horse was necessary and that using stable horses would be embarrassing for the King's daughter. I christened my new stallion Rosie after the legendary Rocinante."

"That's a beautiful story. Fit for a fairytale." The Charmings both cracked up at this joke. They really could not figure out how this man Walt Disney could think the Enchanted Forest was _that_ perfect.

"Now, can we please not talk about _her_ for a little bit? I want to know about _you._ " Snow said pointedly but smiling eagerly.

 _That'll be hard since I was with Regina for the last twenty-eight years,_ David thought sourly in his head.

"Back to my heroic deeds! I have been saving the defenseless animals of Storybrooke."

"But what in particular? Being in this small of a town, I know what your occupation is. Tell me your most recent 'Prince Charming saves a poor little animal' story!" Snow pushed lightly.

"I think it was two weeks ago. Mrs. Henderson called home, reporting a stray cat to be meandering about her street and looking very sickly."

 _Home,_ Snow thought. _She got to play house with my True Love while I had to play homely school teacher. Humph!_

"So I went and picked up the cat and placed her in proper care at the animal shelter. When I got home…"

 _Home. Again! That word is really starting to grate on my nerves._ Snow rolled her eyes.

"Regina started laughing so hard she toppled off the couch. I couldn't figure out what was so funny. She just kept laughing. She finally pointed to give me a hint. My favorite wool sweater was covered in hairballs from that sick cat! Well, I showed her the _what for_ for laughing at me. I ran and hugged her, and her new cashmere sweater was covered too! After that…"

David trailed off, wisely choosing to conclude his story. One look at Snow told him that she did _not_ find the story in the least bit funny.

"Okay. Let's make a conscious effort. One Regina-free lunch. After twenty-eight years cursed by _her_ ," Snow spat out tiredly, "we should have the chance to be free of her."

David nodded his head in agreement. His stomach, though, was unsettled by Snow talking about his wife – _no_ , he corrected himself, _the impostor_ – that way.

Those reservations were fleeting. Suddenly, David was angry. _Where does Regina get off laughing with me?! Kissing me! Sharing my bed! Sharing my life! She used me for years and years!_ His anger was threatening to explode as he gripped the side of the table with white knuckles. _But she gave me so much… Stop it, stupid traitorous thoughts!_

David and his confused, volatile emotions were given a reprieve. Snow had seen his behavior and grimacing; she could only surmise what it was about. Thankfully, the Savior entered in the nick of time.

"So the Curse broke, huh? And you two are my parents, even though we all look freakishly the same age. What did I miss?"


	3. My Love was Never a Lie

Chapter 3: My Love was Never a Lie

* * *

RECAP: The Curse has broken. _Who_ broke it is a mystery. Regina and David were married for 25 years during the Curse. Henry is still mad at Regina for lying to him and runs off to see Emma. David and Snow are awkwardly getting reacquainted and trying to avoid the topic of Regina. Emma arrives.

" _So the Curse broke, huh? And you two are my parents, even though we all look freakishly the same age. What did I miss?"_

* * *

Emma plopped down into the booth beside Snow.

David sat there stupefied. He had no idea how to answer that question. _Goody! Where to start? Nice to truly meet you. I am your father David, one half of your parental unit that abandoned you by placing you in a magic tree. The Curse is now broken. I am no longer the owner of your local friendly pet store. I am a freaking prince. Did I mention that the Curse has broken?! The curse that was cast by my wife! The wife who is no longer my wife because I am married to someone else!_

David rubbed his head. All of this sarcasm was making David's head explode with frustration. _Why I am sounding so much like Regina? Why is that even a question? I mean, I have spent the last twenty-five years with her. If that doesn't change a person, what does?_

"The Curse broke," Snow stated simply. She was weary, too.

"Wow! Yeah, I thought something big had gone down. On my way here, people were running through the streets. Lots of people looked angry. A few were crying. Now I know why! This curse must've messed up a lot of people's lives! If this wasn't reality, it'd be funny. It could almost be an incredibly entertaining TV show! Can you imagine how many people ended up married to other people that they hated?" Emma stopped then. She realized her mistake right as she said it. _Big foot in the mouth moment. Nice going there, Emma!_

"Umm, at least you didn't have kids with her...?" She said, looking at David and trying to gauge his reaction.

Emma's last addition certainly did not help. As much as David railed against the reality of the situation and the betrayal he felt at the hands of his long-time wife, he could not help but become internally enraged by Emma's statement - even though he knew it was pragmatic.

His heart, unfortunately, led his brain in the opposite direction: _It's a small blessing that we don't have kids that have to suffer. This is going to be an utter mess in the town, in my head, and in my marriage with Regina. But help me! I wish we had children. If this dream has to end, why couldn't it have been the brightest dream it could be? Not that it wasn't already perfect... But nothing will let me forget those nights I held Regina as she cried because she wanted our child. Or that time she thought she was pregnant, and the test came out negative. What I wouldn't give for their to be a little boy! Or maybe a little girl that looks just like Regina, with her nose that wrinkles in such a cute way when she is frustrated or thinking too hard. Her sassiness and wit. The vein that pops on her forehead when she is angry. Her soulful brown eyes. Her inky black, gorgeous locks of hair. Her plump and pouty lips..._

He sighed, for maybe the millionth time that day. _You really must stop torturing yourself, David._

"Yeah, that would not have been… very easy right now."

Snow frowned at the mild sentence. _Right now?_ _What about later? Would I have stepped in to raise her children? Oh, the irony! Since she raised me…_ She shuddered to think about the alternative options pertaining to the future. A future where she did not step in. One where the children did not need a stepmother because they already had two parents. _Together._

"So, how are you guys doing? I mean, this has gotta be pretty tough." Emma attempted to be more sensitive, but this situation was definitely unprecedented.

"Oh, Emma! I can't believe we at last found you! We will always find you!"

Emma almost jumped with surprise. Snow threw her arms around Emma forcefully. Emma stiffly reciprocated, feeling uncomfortable with the overt affection and sudden reunion.

David himself felt odd. _Now I know why Regina always hated the Charming 'True Love' motto. Ugh! I feel like I am going to throw up._ He once again reined in his heart's struggle for dominance. _But I will always find my wife! The wife who deserves all the love and perseverance I have until all breath has left my body. My Snow is the bravest person I know. So I will stick by her through this absolute nightmare of a transition and for the rest of our lives. Of course! Was there ever a doubt?_

David did not let his heart speak out about the many doubts that were brutally ravaging his consciousness.

"Yeah. That's great!" Emma choked out with a forced enthusiasm. She made the effort at a genuine smile, but it only came out as a grimace. Snow ignored it, having faith that it would all work out in time. David only felt reserved sympathy. He knew it would be an uphill battle getting this woman - practically a stranger, definitely not their daughter in all the practical ways that counted - to recognize them as her parents. She clearly had a lifetime of trust issues that were not going to dissipate with declarations of love and a hug. An abundance of patience and time would be required, and maybe Emma's walls would always be an obstacle, no matter how much time passed.

"I still think of you as _friends_. My roommate. And that guy she was crushing on." Emma smiled.

Snow blushed.

David winced. _It was more than a crush._ But he would not let himself think on _that._

"If it's all right, I am still gonna call you by your first names. I have never really even had a family, and this is just too awkward. Especially with the whole Curse time freeze thing."

"Of course. That's fine with us. We've never gotten adjusted to the titles 'Mom' and 'Dad.' You're our only child, and we never had the chance to raise you. I'm sorry, Emma, that we were separated and never got to be a family. And for everything you went through. How about we just play it by ear and figure out the whole parent-kid dynamic as we go along?" David offered. He hoped this olive branch might be a decent place to start.

Emma brightened. "Good idea. Just don't expect too much out of me too fast. This is hard, and I've never been very good with the emotional stuff. Maybe we could start from friendship? And work our way into a more regular family relationship? But I don't think we can ever be totally normal, because I'm already 28 and have spent quite a long time living without anyone telling me what to do…"

"Perfect, sweetheart! We're just happy that you're letting us get to know you and and that we're being allowed to be in your life. Right, David? We love you so much!"

Emma smiled more brightly but still shifted in discomfort. _Too much too soon,_ David thought.

"Now seriously, what's going to happen now that the Curse has broken? David. Now that you know… And, um… your… um… wife? She's the one that cast the Curse… Sorry if I'm overstepping. I just care a lot for you, Mary. I mean 'Snow.' Are you two back together, or…"

This completely caught David off guard. Completely thrown for a loop, is more like it. He did not know at all how he truly felt or how he planned to handle the complete nightmare of a life that was now his – so forget about knowing how to answer Emma's intrusive questions. He stared at Snow's expectant, sweet face. He was moved by memories of the girl that had awakened his heart to love. His first love. _No, just...his love. True Love._ The defensiveness rose, triggering anger at Regina. The anger spoke.

"Of course, we're back together! We're married, for goodness sake! We are True Loves! We are Soul Mates!"

* * *

Regina had walked in during the middle of Emma's question. The whole Charming table was distracted enough not to notice her. However, with the small size of the diner and the fever pitch at which David was speaking, Regina would have had to have been completely deaf and blind not to notice them.

She heard, all right. She wished she had not heard a single word and could retract her steps back out of the diner.

 _True Loves. Soul Mates. I knew better, but I was stupid enough to spend most of the Curse thinking that was us! I loved you with my whole heart! I do still! Every single part of my body and pocket of my soul are yours! Don't you know that?! I thought you did. I thought it was the same for you! How can you dismiss our love so easily? Our marriage, maybe. But not what our hearts felt! And now you're tossing me away for her._

Regina swayed where she stood. She anchored her weight and kept herself upright by leaning heavily against the counter. Everything inside her was screaming – to yell at David, to fight Snow for his love and attention, to announce to the town that he was all she wanted, to be truthful to herself for once, and for once, to choose love over pain-driven destruction and darkness. But that small part of her – that part that had whispered ' _you're tossing me away for her_ ' – that part burned her to the core with the rage that had poisoned her soul for years. Only this time, the rage was steadily building to an inferno – the size of which had never been seen from the Evil Queen.

 _I will stay quiet. For now,_ Regina thought.

* * *

"As for _her_ …" David spat. He took a pause, having to shut off the pounding of his heart, which was fighting to break forth, urging him to declare his anguish and torn but undiminished love. "Don't even mention her! She is not worth the time or breath needed to speak. Snow and I have our lives to get on with now that we are no longer spending day after day in limbo, a pre-designed prison made by that she-devil!"

Regina could not stay invisible forever. At that moment, Snow's head imitated the motions that would accompany whiplash. Her would-be shock at the magnitude of David's fury was skipped for shock at the presence of the person in question.

"Speak of the devil herself," muttered Ruby.

Emma's head shot up, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. David jerked around in his seat but just as quickly turned his body back to the way it had been originally facing.

Regina pursed her lips into the thinnest line. She plastered on a tight smile, neither the nefarious one from her old _glory_ days nor the truthful one that would have belied her despair and overpowering sorrow. She assumed her power stance and marched onward, past the Charmings, past the idiot bystanders and eavesdroppers, and toward a vacant booth as far away from David as possible.

Ruby fortuitously chose that moment to bring out the Charmings' orders.

"Here we go. I have a tuna salad and lemonade for you, Snow. I am so glad you're back to being yourself! Not that I didn't like Mary Margaret, but… The real Snow is just the best!" Emma had to shift as the other two women's hug formed a bridge that she was trapped under. "And for you, David, we have the club sandwich on rye with an iced tea. Emma, you want anything?"

"No, thanks. Actually, maybe I will have a bear claw and a Coke. It's a day for the books, and I think I could use a treat. It doesn't look like the craziness is gonna end anytime soon." Emma responded, rolling her eyes jokingly but knowing that the police complaints she would have to deal with, not to mention her parents' personal issues, would inflict a massive migraine upon her, if not give her a coronary.

"Right…" Ruby nodded and laughed. "How could we forget! The diner has been packed for the last hour since the Curse was broken. People are either trying to escape their cursed families or wanting to hear the dirt on all of the other people who are stuck in worse situations than their own."

"That is so mean! People should stick to their own business. This Curse has ruined people's lives! There is nothing funny about that!" Snow cried out, appalled at the injustice.

"Come on, Snow. I get it. This was not child's play. People's lives have been damaged beyond repair. The Evil Queen has struck again, the world is coming to an end, and all that jazz. Yeah, the consequences are serious. But, seriously! There is so much that is funny about this! I am going to start with you."

"What about me?" Snow squeaked.

"Just look what you are wearing! Miss Frumpy McDowdy-Pants. Bah! It looks like you had your grandmother dress you in clothes from five or six decades ago. I can't believe…"

Ruby was forced to stop there by the wheezes, snorts, and uproarious laughter that had bubbled out of her mouth and disrupted her ability to speak coherently. The infectious sounds caught fire, and Emma hugged her stomach, her gut splitting from the cry-inducing laughter that was now coming from her mouth as well.

Snow was looking incredulous. David seemed amused and was trying to keep from laughing out of loyalty to Snow.

"You should know, best friend, that your wardrobe isn't anything to be proud of. I guess I will ask you for advice on how to dress if I ever desire for every lecherous male to get handsy with me or if I ever want to take up streetwalking…"

Emma jumped in. "Hey, now! No need to go there. I can't believe it! I am downright shocked. I have never heard you, Mary Margaret, not once, say anything dirty or anything even hinting at indecency come from your mouth!"

"For your information, best friend- wait! Yeah, I heard your sarcastic tone there. I am _still_ your best friend. Friends are allowed to laugh at each other now and again. Anyway, you can ask the Curse about my… erm… my colorful style of attire."

"Colorful. Hah! That's one way to put it," commented Emma, under her breath.

"Actually, ask the person who cast the Curse herself," Ruby said, gesturing to Regina jerkily with her head. The wolfish waitress couldn't pass up that inappropriate comment.

Then she thought better of it. Emma cast her focus away from the group and out the window. _Oops! Yeah, that was super misguided. Great idea, wolf! That one was even too cringe-worthy for Emma._

Being the patient, forgiving person she was, Snow brushed it off. "It's fine. Ha-ha! I may not ask Regina about it, but I acknowledge that there are some hilarious elements to this Curse. Especially now that I am myself and will NOT be wearing this junk on my body another day!"

David then felt safe to join in. "But I love those paisley floor-length skirts and pastel sweaters. They just made you look so sexy! How could you ever get rid of them?!" David feigned outrage and laughed.

"Really? Well then I guess I am going to have to wear them more often," Snow responded slyly. The flirtation was oozing, as her voice dropped an octave.

David and Emma froze. _Where in the world did that come from? And where is Mary Margaret? Oh yeah, it's Snow. Strong, brave, and fierce bandit Snow. Haven't seen that woman in such a long time!_ When David ended his thoughts punctuated by a chuckle, Emma shot him a look. _I have NEVER seen that woman before in my life!_

Ruby whistled. "Wow, girl! Never knew you had it in you."

* * *

 _Where is Henry? I thought I followed him. Now I am stuck here by myself listening to this vomit-inducing drivel!_

Over at the other end of the diner, Regina slumped in her booth. Even though David was no longer yelling in rage directed toward her, she could still hear almost their entire conversation. Again, small diner. Also, every customer was choosing to keep silent so that they could listen to their King and Queen and their drama.

Regina couldn't take it anymore. Her sadness had worked its way to the background, stepping aside for anger and mostly aggravation to take the reins.

"Waitress, could I please get service? Or am I going to be forced to leave and take my business elsewhere where they have better service?" Regina barked out, loud enough to be heard from anyone passing the diner from the street outside.

"What can I get you? Your usual lunch order, Your Majesty?"

When Regina heard her title from one of her best friends… _She was under the Curse. I wonder about now._

"No, thank you, Ruby. I just want a cup of coffee. Extra strong, please."

Ruby stopped her trek back to the kitchen and turned. Regina had added something. Ruby heard, but just barely. Her friend murmured, "And it's just Regina...to you."

"Okay. It'll be right out, Mrs. Nolan!"

The diner was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. No one missed that blunder. Maybe it was not _legally_ a blunder. Regina and David had a real marriage license issued from the state of Maine. _That_ , however, did not matter one bit to David. Prince Charming's righteous indignation reared its ugly head and was about to be let loose in a way he would regret.

David shot out of his seat and marched right over to Regina's table. He stood toe-to-toe with Ruby and growled, "Don't you _EVER_ let my name in association with _her_ come out of your mouth again."

The threatening nature of his voice – the likes of which neither Regina nor Ruby had never heard from the lips of David Nolan or Prince Charming – resounded clearly in the diner. It was fear-inducing and guttural. Snow couldn't believe her sweet shepherd could ever allow this level of hatred to build, much less let it loose on one of their dear friends.

 _I have driven him to this,_ Regina thought with much self-loathing. _But treating Ruby- No. It is Red. Treating Red in this fashion is vicious and uncalled for. I won't stand for it._

"How dare you speak to her like that! Red is our friend! If you have any pent-up anger, unleash it on me. Be a man, and direct it at the right person."

Ruby stared at the former villainous queen, a woman she had been proud to call her friend for the last twenty-eight years, admiring her inner strength and beauty. She was beautiful because she felt so deeply. She was loyal to a fault. This regal woman, Regina Mills, the Mayor and the Queen, now stood looking at her husband (or maybe soon-to-be ex-husband) straight in the eye with poise, defiance, and stoicism. _How anyone can muster that much tolerance to pain without completely cracking, I will never know. The reserve from which she draws that amount of fortitude, time and time again, must be the size of the Atlantic!_

"You think Red is your friend after this stunt – more like Armageddon – you pulled?! After this, I am sure you have no friends. Not in this town. Not in this lifetime! Did you even have any before this Curse? As for which way my anger points, you definitely do not want me to unleash it on you. Because once I start, I think it would take murder to stop me from unleashing on you. You better run. I can't think of anyone who I hate more or have _ever_ hated more. The rest of the town probably shares the same sentiment. So I'll save the honors for them. There's no way to avoid a little chat between us at some point. But at this point, I cannot stand the sight of you! I cannot bear to have you in the same room! Certainly not the same town! You need to leave before I do something I regret – something I will never be able to apologize for."

David was shaking with the uncontrollable urge to wring her neck. To watch as her face lost its color, and her life force left her body. Because her being alive only meant pain and suffering for everyone. Especially for him. He was granted his own special brand. Heartbreak. Deep and life-sucking heartbreak that was gnawing at every part of his consciousness. He questioned every part of his life. To neglect to do so would make him a fool. A selfishly in love, ignorant simpleton who threw it all away for the girl. The Jezebel that fed him to the dogs to save herself and to release her revenge and evil just because she could.

If only he could stand back from the situation and do what he wanted. _What he wanted!_ He almost both laughed and cried bitterly at the impossibility of his deepest desire ever coming to fruition. What he wanted was to just take his life at face value, accept it, grasp Regina's small, elegant hand, and run off into the sunset with her. However, that perfectly boxed, tied-up-in-a-ribbon beauty of dream would never fit into the truth of their personalities or their world.

"No, David. You don't get to ignore me. Red was doing nothing wrong. I am defending _her_ – not me! Not that it is any of your concern, but I am Red's friend. Forever. I may not be _her_ friend ever again, but I will always be a friend to her. I care for her and love her! I will never let you or anyone else spew their toxic hate at her. I would never let someone do that to you! I defend and protect the people I love! As much as you tell yourself that what we had was a lie… that our love is a lie…"

David looked ready to lunge at her. Red held him in place by grabbing his arm. Regina continued.

"My love for you is real and always will be. I have spent the last twenty-eight years, even before I married you, loving _you._ There is no one else for me. Red may have chosen to be my friend while under the Curse. You may have asked me to marry you under the Curse. The curse I cast… Yes, I am taking responsibility! The curse I cast may have changed how you dress, what hobbies you have, and how you react to things. But nothing can ever change who you are and what your heart wants. I wasn't under the Curse, and I chose you. Your heart was faithful to you, and it chose me. Can't that be enough? Can I be enough?"

The ending of her pleas fell to deaf ears when it came to David. It even sounded weak to Regina. _Of course I am not enough! He has his old pure-hearted Snow back to fill the role of wife. And a long-lost daughter to boot! All I can offer him is my black heart. No children. The son I have hates me and runs away every chance he gets. He's not even mine. He's the son of the perfect Charming Savior. Even without me, David still gets Henry. I will never be enough._

"No! My heart lied! I lied to myself and let myself believe it! You poisoned me and limited my choices! EVERYTHING you are and were was A LIE! My whole life feels like a lie, and I feel like I am drowning in insanity!"

"But David, my love. You are not insane. You are suffering because of _me_. If I could take that burden off of you and bear it, I would. I would do anything for you. I would kill for you. I would…"

David may have been feeling insane, but his brain was firing at over 600 horsepower and ready to run her appeal over with guns blazing.

"You would kill for me?!" David shouted incredulously.

Everyone stiffened in their seats.

The most chilling, maniacal laugh ever emitted from a human body was heard that day.

"You mean, you _did_ kill for me," snarled David with a deadly hiss. "Was it because of me that Sheriff Graham was killed in cold blood? His heart beaten to a bloody pulp in your dainty but lethal hands!"

Emma jumped up and began running full force at the Mayor, promising her good friend and almost love, Graham, to take Regina down to the ground with her, where they would stay until one of them could not get up. She had every intention of that person being Regina, even if she had to fight until they were both out of life.

Thankfully, Snow's alert instincts caught onto her daughter's body language. Snow sprang out of the booth behind Emma and restrained her daughter.

Emma struggled and writhed, desperate to get a hold of the murderess and punish her. _For Graham. I will fight for you, Graham. Even if I never got a chance to love you fully. I love you in friendship and for the future we could have had. She took your life and ripped any future we could have had away from us. I will make Regina pay._

Snow whispered in the infuriated blonde's ear, "I have seen this before. I know how you feel. You are hurt. You are angry. You are sad. You are devastated. You want to do something about it. That is who Regina was. Maybe still is. She destroyed her life over me. Graham does not want you destroyed or dead because of him. Take a minute, and let your dad have his minute. You can take Regina on later. You have the rest of your life."

As Emma visibly deflated, recognizing the wisdom in her mother's words, David continued to bait and accuse Regina.

"You crushed Graham's heart. Wait! You crushed _the Huntsman's_ heart! Was it because he found out you had never loved him and were just using him? Was it because he refused kill Snow all those years ago? Or was it because he was a bad lover?"

Regina was stunned – beyond words.

"Oh, so you didn't think I knew? Honey, I know everything! I know how he was just one of many who you – how shall we put it? – one of many who graced you with their attentions. I know that you continued to use him even in Storybrooke. Even after you met me! You loved me for twenty-eight years? I doubt _ever_ , but twenty-eight years is just laughable beyond belief!"

Another one of those blood curdling laughs...

"Back to my questions!" David barked.

The wild gleam in his eyes looked frenzied and demented. This was a David that in no way resembled her husband. Regina was scared for what was to come.

"Did he offend you? Did you tell him secrets in the privacy of your bed? Did he tell your secrets? Did you fall in love with him? Did he reject your love? No, you are too cold-hearted and evil to love, my dear! Did…"

"You know I can love! I loved you! With all my heart, I love _YOU!"_

Regina pounded on the brick wall he had erected around his ears and heart. But the poisonous volleys of words kept coming.

"I know! It was my Emma! The Savior. The Savior destroyed you like it was foretold. She came to town, and it burned you up! She was stealing your son. Then she stole the affections of your lover. You couldn't stand it that she had what you couldn't have. His whole heart. You had the beating organ but not the part that counts… That's probably it. But let me keep guessing. Oh! Were you pregnant with his child that first month I met you and saw you throwing up?! Did he not want it? And you did?! Poor, poor Regina. I…"

"That's it! You know I was never pregnant. You know I did not love Graham. Because I loved you. And you loved me, too! Admit it! We loved each other. If I killed Graham, it had nothing to do with love!"

"But I didn't love you. I was with you out of pity. Because YOU HAD _NO ONE!_ BUT I… NEVER. LOVED. YOU. I was tricked by you! I loved Snow before! I loved Snow all through the Curse! I love her NOW! I will love _HER_ tomorrow! I will love _HER_ forever! AND I EVEN LOVED HER A MONTH AGO!"

"No," Regina barely got out.

The monosyllabic response barely escaped her mouth. Her throat constricted tightly.

She had believed David. Every time he had reassured her of his love. Every time she had cried over the last month...and he had held her. Every time he had gotten home late, he had told her some detailed story about patrolling business. She had fallen for his lies. His games. His charm.

 _All of it! I fell for every trick in the book! I love that man, and he hung me out to dry! Like I was nothing! Worthless, used, and old. I love him, even as he confesses his sins to me. And he never loved me! Even before the Curse broke…_

Regina tried to control herself, but a whimper escaped. Her vision became blurry. She could not see. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Then another. And another. And another.

It was painful to watch. Snow hated the evil her stepmother had inflicted upon the citizens of the White Kingdom for years and then upon the citizens of Storybrooke. But this was just too much. _The fallen queen._ Never in a million years did Snow think Regina would make herself vulnerable to another human being. Here Regina was, thrusting the floodgates to her soul open, and the Mistress of Evil herself made not one attempt to shield herself from the many prying eyes. Snow wanted to hold the now small-looking woman in her arms and offer comfort. She knew Regina would not accept, even in her state of distress and inattentiveness.

She didn't have to try. Ruby took it upon herself to provide her distraught friend with physical support and an emotional safe haven. The waitress gathered the broken woman into her arms and held her.

David saw. He heard. He knew. Twenty-eight years gives you an infinite supply of knowledge that allows you to discern what your partner is thinking and feeling. But he cared not. He would not stop his barrage for anything or anyone.

"I love Snow! Snow loves me! We both love Henry! Snow had enough love for him to present him with the truth - giving him that storybook, even when she couldn't remember who she was. She listened to his seemingly fantastical rants at school and didn't make him feel crazy! I love Henry with everything. He has been my son for 10 years, and he will always be my grandson. You are NOTHING to him. No, wait! You are woman that lied to him for his _whole_ life. The woman who left him motherless. Without you, he would have been raised by Emma because Emma would have had a different, happy life. But now, in this life, you have left him hurt. You tried to control him. You forced him – AGAINST HIS WILL – into psychotherapy! You made him think he was crazy! You let everyone else around him believe that he was crazy! You stood by and did nothing! _NOTHING_ for the son you _claim_ to love! Thank goodness _we_ never brought a child into this world! If we had, you would have taken every last ounce of her love and humanity and crushed it so that she would be as evil and black-hearted as you! No one loves you, and no one ever will! I certainly don't care if you live or die!"

That last one did it. Her self-control, not that she was asserting much, and her pride had been hanging by a brittle thread. His last declaration broke that thread. Her heart and every piece of her essence that made her the strong woman called Regina Mills fell into an abyss. She thought she could withstand anything he fired at her. She thought that she could for once allow her love to keep her in control of her own temper and habit of thoughtless retaliation. But she was wrong. Those accusations about Henry and _their_ child broke her and any restraint she was reserving.

"Did you ever think to ask why the Huntsman was so fond of your darling Snow? Why he – a man that had indeed been loyal to me as a knight and a lover for many years – decided to turn his back on me for a sniveling bandit princess?! I'll tell you _why_! Snow seduced him. She used him and had him at her beck and call for years! I am sure you were separated from Snow a time or two in the years you were on the run. Did she ever come back to you with a bit of hesitation? Placing a bit of distance between the two of you? Telling you that you would have all the time in the world to be happy and in love in a few years once you were settled and safe?"

David's silence and accusatory stare at Snow was all Regina needed to continue.

"I guess that's unfair of me. I'll admit to it! I may have only been using the Huntsman back in the Enchanted Forest. But then I cast the Curse and came to Storybrooke. We met. I thought I loved you. We got married. Then I found out how weak you are! How weak you will _always_ be! Graham was so much more attractive and strong! He was a _real_ man! He protected me! He gave me love and support! You played with mutts. What kind of a man are you? As I continued being married to you, I realized I was trapped. I played along with the farce. I…"

Regina wiped her eyes. She knew that what he was feeling – if any of these made up lies she was firing back at him were even penetrating his steel skull – did not come even close to comparing with the fervent love she felt. No, he could not love her like she loved him because that love inside of him, if any even existed, could not be met with the boundless amount of bone-weary lack of will for living and utter hopelessness that threatened to consume her.

" _YOU_ … YOU… you…" Even Ruby's arms could not keep her standing that time. She fell.

The room stayed silent. Waiting.

"I love you and _always_ loved _you_. _This_ was all a lie. What I said in anger. But everything under the Curse – everything between us – _that_ everything was the truth. I meant our vows. 'I shall but love thee better after death.' If the death of this Curse means the death of _us…_ that there is to be no more moments between us _together_ … If I am dead to you because you hate me… Or if there was any part of you that loved _that_ Regina, and she is now dead to you…"

Regina shed one final tear, and then she steeled her resolve to pick herself off the ground. She stood up with her dignity shredded. Her hope blow away. Her love defeated.

She looked him straight in the eyes.

"David, the love of my life, if I have ceased to be alive to you, I release you. I release you from our vows, our promises, our hopes, and our dreams. I release you from the love we shared. But know this, I will never stop loving you. Even when I finally accept that you are never coming back, I will never stop loving you. And in my heart, I will always wait for you. 'I shall but love thee better.'"

With those final words of declaration, in her newfound strength and determination to hold onto her love for him, Regina squeezed Ruby's hand. Without a glance at the gaping crowd or the fleeting figures of Miss Swan and Snow White, she walked with purpose and her usual elegant stature and strode to the door. Without turning, she said her final goodbye.

"Never forget. I will love you and wait for you always. Goodbye, my love."

* * *

Henry finally appeared on the scene. He had been so angry at his mom. _Why does she always have to lie?!_ The young boy also became angry at himself for his confusion. Memories of his mother, from before he found out about his adoption, played in his mind. His sixth birthday when she chased him around on the playground and got covered in mud. The time she had driven him out of town to the coast of Maine, and they had played on the beach the entire day. That one day after school two years ago when he fell off his bike. She ran in her stilettos, knelt on the gravel, ripped up her hose, and bandaged his leg. He cried – not that he'd ever admit it to anyone – and she stayed there, sitting with him on the traffic-less road for a good hour, soothing him with her hushed words and drying his tears. He loved _that_ mom so much. She was the only parent he wanted.

He loved Emma, but she never did any of those things for him. She let him have junk food. She didn't care if he didn't finish his homework. She wouldn't say a single word if he stayed up until three in the morning reading. Sometimes she would play a video game with him all night. But she was not his mom.

Henry rushed into diner. He saw David strangely standing at the end of the room, looking forlorn and lost. Beside him, Ruby was crying and emitting small howls of pain.

His eyes scanned the room and stopped on Snow and Emma. Emma's body was curled into a lump, her feet up on the booth and knees tucked under her chin. Her hands cupped the top of her head with her arms covering her face. Snow's position was the complete opposite of her daughter's posture. Snow sat stiff as a board, her hands folded primly in her lap. Upon further notice, her hands were actually squeezing each other tightly, using each other as makeshift stress balls. The stress did not seem to be leaving. Snow stared into space. Henry could see no hint of emotion on her face.

No one else was there. "Why is the diner empty?"

Henry's yell echoed through the diner like it was the Grand Canyon. Of course, it wasn't really a yell. It was actually more akin to a whisper. But the stench of death and mourning hung over the diner. Regina's exit had cast a pall over the usual upbeat establishment. The question had broken the fragile balance of silence.

Granny rushed over. "Henry, maybe it would be best if you went home."

"I came to see Emma."

Emma looked up at him. "Now's not such a great time, Kid. I… um, I can take you back to the apartment."

"Fine. Where is mom?"

"You mean, Regina, right?"

"Yeah. Regina."

"She left."

"Why?"

"She was upset, Kid."

"Because of me?!" Henry gasped. His mother had looked sad before when he had rejected her. When he had told her he hated her. That she was not his mother. He had always ignored her.

"No. The Curse. It's just a lot. I know you have questions, Henry. But trust me. Now is not a good time. I will take you back to the apartment. Wait!"

Emma glanced first at Snow and then at David. _They're definitely going to need some time. Alone. To work it out? Like this can be worked out._

Emma changed her offer to Henry. "How about we drive to that new theater in the next town over. I think a new superhero movie is out!"

Emma tried to fake a smile and excitement about the movie. No dice. Even Henry could see how artificial the attempt really was.

Henry also knew when grown ups just needed you to agree with them.

"Okay. Let's go."

Emma and Henry hurried out of the diner as fast as they could, as if someone were chasing them with a knife. They could not wait to eat some popcorn, focus on the movie, and pretend like nothing bad had happened at Granny's. Like everything was right in the world, and they were the happiest two people on earth.

* * *

Ruby stopped crying. She could have continued for hours. Her best friend, under the Curse at least, had gotten her heart broken by the man with whom she had spent most of her life and whom she had loved with unwavering and unbridled passion and devotion. Her two best friends had broken each other's trust beyond repair. Their marriage would never be the same again. Perhaps it would never _be_ again. Two people she loved were devastated, and there was nothing she could do.

"What's next?"

"I don't know. But _my Regina_ is dead."

That is the moment when the wolf within the slim brunette replaced the waitress. She clocked him with all the force she had – and then some.

David almost passed out. _Ruby can sure pack a punch._

 _What am I going to do?_

 _I love her._

 _No, I loved her. She is dead to me._


	4. Take Me Back to the Start

Chapter 4: Take Me Back to the Start

* * *

"Oh, David! Red, what were you thinking?!" Snow rushed from the booth and knelt beside her prince.

"What I was thinking was that this guy right here was being an utter jerk! He completely bashed one of my best friends over the head with every unfair, hurtful thing in his arsenal. _Private_ things he learned in their marriage. He devastated Regina!" Ruby may have decided against punching Charming again, but she was still seething and almost ready to deck him again.

"Are you kidding?" shouted Snow, aghast. "Red, she has ruined everyone's lives! She separated me and David for twenty-eight years! How can you call her one of your best friends?!"

"No, are _YOU_ kidding? I am aware of what she has done. It did affect us for the last twenty-eight years. But she cast the Curse TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO! She has done nothing but try to live a normal life the whole time we have been in Storybrooke!" Ruby was not willing to stand aside and hear anyone – not even Snow – try to frame Regina as the Evil Queen for eternity. _She has changed! Move on already, people!_

"Regina may not have poisoned anyone or killed anyone under the Curse...? What about Graham?! Even aside from that, how about we focus on the fact that she seduced _my husband_ and practically raped him for this whole time! What about that, Red?!"

Apparently both women had forgotten David in their heated argument over Regina. David stood on the sidelines, watching like a spectator at a wrestling match. That last comeback of Snow's struck David. _What do I say? I am the one who brought up Graham in the first place. We never even found a body! Surely Regina did not stoop so low as to kill him! As for seducing me, that is not even close to what happened! Does Snow even know how much I wanted Regina? It's not like I am going to tell her! But there were several heated moments in those first three years, but Regina always pulled away. I never knew what that look was then, but it must have been guilt! And 'rape?' I must stop Snow before she decides to paint Regina as more of a villain than the town already believes her to be._

"Snow, stop! I may not have known who I really was under the Curse, but I was fully in control of my actions. Regina _never_ seduced me! She became my friend long before either of us even _thought_ of starting something more!"

Snow stood wide-eyed. The implications attached to David's defense of Regina were earth-shattering. His exclamations only cemented the possibility that Regina had done nothing but try to make a new life for herself in Storybrooke. If that was true, then David had not been coerced to befriend her. Marry her. Stay with her for twenty-eight years. Snow refused to acknowledge the bottom line.

David had _chosen_ Regina.

Ruby smirked and then ripped Snow another shock. "I know for a fact that Regina did not _seduce_ David until after they were married."

Snow gasped. She turned to David, as if asking for confirmation. Ruby chuckled. David blushed and then coughed. He refused to face his wife.

Instead, he questioned Ruby. "How?"

"The wolf always knows," Ruby replied matter-of-factly. "Also, Regina is my best friend. Nothing in her life stays a secret from me for long."

Snow looked hurt, momentarily forgetting the even more hurting idea of her Charming in a committed relationship with _that_ woman who shall not be named.

Ruby caught on to Snow's reaction. "Snow, you will always be like a sister to me. I befriended Regina under the Curse. That NEVER would have happened had we stayed in the Enchanted Forest. But we didn't. Regina was my best friend here. She spent the time to ask me how I was every day. She helped me over break-ups. She watched my stupid reality shows with me even though I know she hates them. She let me intrude on family dinners. She opened up to me about her life, even if she did have to omit the magic part from her past."

"And you think any of that was real?"

Ruby shook her head. _Does Snow really hate Regina that much to where she cannot or will not hear any of the truth about how Regina is NOW?_

"I _know_ it was all real. We can ask ourselves if it is coincidence that Regina found herself married to the husband of her enemy and best friends with her enemy's best friend. Of course it was planned. I know that originally Regina probably targeted me and David as a part of her grand plan for revenge. I also know that it became real after a certain amount of time. Regina could have still formed relationships with the both of us but not allowed the real her to shine through. She could have given us her time and her energy but withheld her true emotions, her past, and her love. There is a part of me that is mad at her. But she never once acted on her vengeance in a damaging way during the Curse. She was my friend and still is, and I love her."

After that rant, Snow had nothing left to say. She refused to believe any of what Ruby had said. For the sake of her sanity and her belief in a future for her marriage with David, she blocked it out.

The one who did listen was David. During his showdown with Regina, he had let his mind and his betrayal name Regina as the traitor and soul-sucking witch who had ruined his life. He turned on the auto-pilot and laid into her with as much vitriol and malevolence as the Evil Queen deserved. The Evil Queen. Not his loving wife Regina. Ruby's moving defense of Regina had reminded the self-righteous prince of reality. Through their entire marriage, Regina had always tried to be honest with him and had opened her heart fully to him.

 _I chose to marry Regina. She chose to marry me. She may not have let me in – fully – ever. She may not have told me 'I love you' until a year after we were married. She may have barely talked to me about her past. But I never gave up trying, and she slowly let me see past her icy exterior. She was brave. After all this time, I can say that she gave to me all she could. Twenty-eight years of battling, screaming, laughing, and crying. I would not change a minute of it._

Once again, David reined himself in. His unbridled love for the Queen was in the past. She had loved and married him in the midst of the greatest lie ever told. He had loved her and married her when he was unaware of who he was or what he wanted. _I loved her then, but now that is gone. Over and done with. I have my life back, and it does not include her._

"David, I think we should go home."

"Where?" David was beyond puzzled. _The mansion? How can Snow expect me to go back there? Does she really want me to start another world war with Regina?_

"You can come with me back to the loft."

 _Oh. The loft. I am going to have to get used to that. 25 years of living in the same house with the same woman. Boom! Curse broken! Change in address! Now I am going to be living in a loft with a different woman. Stupid magic!_

"Okay. What will I do about clothing? All my stuff is still at the mansion."

"We will work through all the difficulties together. You can retrieve your belongings tomorrow, after everyone has calmed down." Snow pivoted and started making her way toward the diner door.

Snow's solution may have _sounded_ simple, but how could it be? Nothing about the situation was simple. David shuddered at the thought of tomorrow. No one would be calm tomorrow. Two days from now, a month from now, another twenty-eight years from now… No amount of time would be enough for Snow and Regina to stay calm around each other.

David scratched his head. "I guess we'll see you later," he said, addressing the wolf.

"Sure," Ruby replied reluctantly. "I will be seeing _Snow_ later. In the meantime, I will be checking on Regina. Your other wife. See how she's coping. I will be doing what you should be doing."

Ruby could not stand the sight of Charming. _And to think, I fought alongside him for years with Snow. I battled the Evil Queen and her Black Guards. I took a few stray arrows for him. Today, I am best friends with the former Evil Queen and will be comforting her. Charming will be playing house with Snow, pretending the last twenty-eight years never happened, and ignoring his wife. I always thought him brave. He is a coward._

Ruby swiftly marched behind the counter and out of sight.

 _I guess the conversation is over. Nice going, Charming._

David was so tired. The sun had tilted on its axis, and the orbit of the universe had shifted. Nothing in his life was the same anymore. Everything that was right was now wrong.

* * *

Everything was wrong for Regina, as well.

She was an absolute, utter wreck.

David had always worshiped her body, saying it was 'the picture of perfection.' Right now, she felt anything but beautiful. She physically ached all over. Her head was throbbing. Her back was smarting. Her heart stopped. When she moved her hand to feel the skin of her chest, she detected the normal beat of the organ – _merely a biological function._ For she knew that she would not feel more empty if she shoved her hand into her chest, seized her heart, and ripped it out. The call of a moment of peace – relief from her personal storm – tempted her more than she thought possible. Life without David already made her feel cold and destitute.

But her soul ached for him. Every single solitary second, she longed for him to call. To stumble into the mansion – even drunk. To pick up his stuff and start another fight. Perhaps to even think of her, maybe even fondly, even if she would not know. Anything, if only she would be able to bask in his presence once again.

She thought back to her life for the first three years of the Curse. Oh, how she had relished her sweet victory! _Ha-ha, I entrapped the foolish shepherd to forsake his forever love for me. And Snow will never be happy without her True Love. The simpering fool!_

Now she knew _she_ was the fool. While she had been thinking herself wise to have finally gotten her revenge, she had been falling deeply and madly in love with the man she was supposed to be pitying and toying with.

She stopped pacing the floor in her bedroom and pivoted toward the large oak sleigh bed in the center of their – _I guess it's mine alone now_ – her room.

She closed her eyes.

She could almost feel the heat emanating from his body while she laid her head upon his chest. She remembered _that_ day sometime in the third year. They had been married a month. She had woken up panicked. _Where am I? Who is this in my bed?_ But then she had looked up. _David._

There he was, his breathing heavy, his hair tousled, and his arm protectively slung over her, encompassing her in his embrace.

 _Why couldn't I have met you and married you in the Enchanted Forest and not have been saddled with old Leopold? I wish I had all your love. I wish Snow… Wait! Love?!_ She burrowed her face into David's shoulder. _What am I doing? This is all just the Curse, you stupid girl!_

She sighed. _I wish this was truly real._

Regina looked up. It was snowing outside. She remembered when it had snowed when she was a girl on her father's estate. She had always wanted to play in the snow, but she knew she couldn't or else her mother would punish her – with magic. One special day when she was twelve, she had gotten her wish. "Regina, it is the first beautiful snowfall of the winter. Let us go and enjoy it!" "But Daddy, will not Mother be angry? I do not want to think upon what she will do!" "Sweetheart, your mother is traveling to the neighboring kingdom to visit her new seamstress. But we, my darling girl, get to use the sleigh. Just you and me for the whole day." Much later, after young Regina and her father had ridden through the estate grounds on the sleigh, they returned to the castle exhilarated, rosy-cheeked, and happy. "Thank you so much, Daddy!" "No need to thank me. You deserved it. You deserve so much better than this! So much more than your cowardly father could ever give you." Henry sighed and shook his head. "But Daddy, you're not cowardly! I love you so much! There could not be a braver and more loving person than you in the whole world!" "No, my child. Someday you will learn. Someday you will meet someone who makes you brave. Someone who makes your heart bigger and your life more full. Someone who will protect you. Someone…" Regina adamantly objected, "But you already do all that for me! Why would I need this _someone_?" "You will see, Regina. Just wait. You will know."

That random but special morning during the third year, Regina had known. She looked up only to find her new husband staring back down at her. The gentle admiration and caring – _could it be love_? – was what she saw. At that moment, she knew what her father had been speaking of. The man holding her in his arms, caressing her back with soft touches, gazing at her with a look that pierced her very being – _he_ was that _someone._

 _Someone…Someone…Someone. Who protects you?_ _His arms… Who fills your life? Who makes your heart bigger?_ She almost needed to escape his hold at that moment. She felt suffocated and wanted to hide in the bathroom. But then she breathed deeply and settled back down, sinking into the mattress and his embrace. _Someone who makes you feel brave._ Her heart almost stopped beating in her chest and her throat caught.

"Regina. Regina. Regina!"

She snapped her head up. He was shaking her. Alarm filled David's eyes, and his usually calm demeanor was shaken with a bit of worry. "Are you okay?" She offered him a faint smile. "Thank goodness! You weren't answering me. Is something troubling you?" She shook her head. "If you're sure. Well, then. What do you say to a day in the snow? Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

Still a bit caught in her worries about her situation with David, and a bit fogged by her memories of her father, Regina just stared.

"Come on! It'll be fun," coaxed David.

"But can't we just stay in and drink cider or perhaps cocoa? Playing in the snow is for children! Honestly, David! You cannot expect the Mayor of Storybrooke to be seen frolicking in the snow. Also, we will be drowned rats in soggy suits after all is said and done!"

David would not accept this and sent a challenging smirk back Regina's way. "Madam Mayor, I dare say I am shocked! Are you afraid of interacting with your youthful citizens on this fine day? Are you afraid of letting your hair down with me, your husband? Or must I burn your supply of pencil skirts and blouses and give you a pair of my snowpants and a coat?"

She would have been slightly offended, but Regina only laughed when she noticed the goofy grin David was directing at her.

 _Oh, how I love his beautiful face! I want to see more of his smiles today! Maybe I will have a day in the snow. Why not? That doesn't make him my_ someone _does it? Does it?_

 _Someone who makes you brave. Brave. Someone who makes you brave. Someone who makes your heart bigger. Your life more full. Love. Oh, why? Why do I have to love that idiot? Love?! I love him. The Evil Queen loves Prince Charming? But… No. Regina Mills loves David Nolan. No. Regina loves David. Just Regina. Regina loves David!_

 _Someone who makes you brave. For once in your life, Regina, be brave!_

David once again had a puzzled and slightly worried expression warping his debonair face with lines. _Oh, David! I love you. I will be brave. Maybe just this once. Maybe the curse won't break. Even if it does… No! I will not think of that. I will take my second chance at love. The chance I never had with my sweet stable boy. My Daniel. I will love this time and not look back._

"David!" David jerked suddenly. Regina's call for her love had startled him.

"What were you pondering, Reg?" Only he could call her that without earning the famous No-Nonsense-Madam-Mayor glare.

"Nothing, my love. Only of you. I… I…" She wanted to tell him. But she couldn't get the words out, so she did the next best thing.

The kiss was unhurried and tender. Not frantic and passionate. But so full of love. It was Regina's promise to her new husband David that she would be brave for him today and all the tomorrows that would be possible for them.

"I love you, Regina."

There! He said it! Maybe it was okay that her throat had constricted when she had tried to utter the same sentiment.

"I am so glad that you, my dear, took a chance on this animal shelter owner. This man who is not worthy of your love." _You are the one who is everything. I am the one who is not worthy of you,_ Regina thought, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay. She only half succeeded, as a solitary tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

David continued, "I love you. I love you more than the day I met you. The best day of my life! More than our wedding day. More than yesterday. I will love you until death and through eternity. Nothing shall ever keep you from me! You are mine. Just as I am yours."

David spoke with such reverence but also such passion that Regina was both utterly shattered and lifted to new heights in that moment. Another lone tear made its way past her furious attempts to be strong. _But he is that someone who will protect you. No need to hide from him. Be brave enough to love him fully. You owe yourself a fresh start._

* * *

"You are mine? Just as I am yours?"

Regina broke out of the prison of her mind. It was NOT that day during the third year in Storybrooke. She kept muttering, "Until death? Really?! More like until death of the Curse! Or perhaps until you and your precious Snow – your True Love – will make me prematurely meet my death!"

At that, Regina whirled around to her nightstand. She grabbed the vase – _that ugly vase that Grumpy foisted on us as a wedding present_ – and threw it with all the strength she could muster in her rage. It shattered with an ear-splitting "CRACK" that only minimally matched the intensity of the internal pain of her ever-fragmenting heart.

"I hate you, David! James! Charming! I hate you! I hate you for meeting Snow! I hate you for trying to kill me those several times! I hate you for waking up that day from your blasted coma! I hate you for accepting my invitation to tour Storybrooke! I hate you for wanting to be my friend! I hate you for proposing! I hate you for marrying me! Why couldn't you have stopped yourself for one moment? I hate you for looking at me that _certain_ way! I hate you making me love you!"

When she uttered that last sentence of hatred and overpowering love, she fell to her knees. Unlike that one beautiful day of bravery years ago, she could not hold back the torrent of building anguish. The pain she felt she conveyed in an inhuman sounding, feral cry. Never had the cavernous walls of her mansion – or any house in Storybrooke, for that matter – heard such a heart-wrenching wail.

Then the tears came. It was not crying. It was not sobbing. It was the release of all her love that she had lost, all the future that would never be. She shook, her whole body quaking so that she eventually found herself prostrate on the floor. Her salty tears rolled down her cheeks, down her neck, making her shirt damp. Regina could not contain her emotions. The bawling would not abate and continued with a fury for hours, accompanied by heaving. Her gut twisted, as her mind assaulted her with all of the memories of Mr. and Mrs. Nolan over the past twenty-eight years.

Then she stopped.

"David, if you have ever loved me… Me. Not the Evil Queen. Not Snow's stepmother. Not your enemy. Just me. Your Regina. If you have ever loved me, find a way to look past your hatred and anger. I am your wife. I love you."

Her head whipped around to face the door, half expecting her beloved to come rushing through the bedroom door and sweep her off her feet. But the room stayed silent. There was no car parking or front door slamming. Regina was alone. Silence.

All that was heard was…

"You will always have my love, darling. Find your way back to me, and I will never let you go."

* * *

Back at the loft, David and Snow were lying in bed, as far away from each other as possible. When they arrived 'home,' they had attempted to bond and spend time together. They might as well have been on separate planets for all the talking that had happened – next to none. They finally gave up and headed to sleep.

"Goodnight, David. Don't worry. Just a little time, and this will all work out. We're where we are supposed to be. Fate brought us back together. We have Emma, again. We are a family," Snow whispered. Conviction and faith in the future hung from every syllable spoken.

David lay on his side, absolutely confused and flustered. Snow's courage was unshakeable like the Rock of Gibraltar. In another life, he had been the boisterous Prince Charming. He had been known throughout the land for his daring and his spirit. He was someone who would rush to the rescue of his true love and any citizen of the Kingdom who was in need. Now, he felt like a helpless child. Snow was a beacon of hope and a pillar of strength. He was nothing.

"Goodnight, Snow."

Snow's words bothered him. Fate was his longtime friend. He had followed Snow through the wilderness, through battle, and through any fears that present themselves. He had clung onto Fate like it was a tangible person because once upon a time, David had been a man who lived for His True Love first and foremost. Snow had been his happiness. Period. He had shared Snow's belief that as long as they trusted in each other, Fate would bring them back together eventually. Now, he wasn't sure he believed in Fate. He was a changed man. If he and Snow were meant to be together for eternity, why had they been kept apart for nearly three decades?! Why had he been happy with Regina?! The traitorous part of his heart whispered, _If Fate is the champion for me to stay with Snow forever, then I denounce Fate. I want to choose my own destiny. I choose Regina._

David once again forced his mind to overcome the calls of his heart. The worries of the day flooded him ceaselessly. The new matter to fret over pertained to his connection with Snow.

After twenty-eight years apart, one would think they had much to talk about. _How have you been doing? How has work been? Anything interesting happen lately?_ All the small talk had run out an hour ago. Snow did not want to bore David with her Curse life. Every day had been the same for her. Wake up early. Go to school. Teach the children. Grade papers. Eat dinner alone. Watch television. Go to bed. Fall asleep. Repeat.

On the other hand, the last twenty-eight years was a treasure trove of memories for David. But those treasure memories would not be shared by David anytime soon. For one thing, David refused to hurt Snow with mentions of his life with Regina more than was absolutely necessary. Every happy memory he could share featured his dark-haired angel. Every important milestone that had happened during his Curse life had been a milestone he had celebrated with his wife.

Regina. She was the larger and more important reason for his silence. No matter how much he might buck against the notion that his love for her was still intact – Curse and all – his subconscious stayed true to her. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding those cursed years, half of his identity remained firmly faithful to his love. Their time together was their beautiful secret. He was not ashamed of their marriage, but he wanted to keep their life together to himself. Something to be cherished and kept away from the prying eyes of others.

Regina was already a secretive woman at the core of her character, but she had battled herself during their marriage to reveal herself to her husband. At first, she had been gun-shy to revel in the happiness he brought her. She had tried to stifle the smiles and laughs that threatened to escape.

David smiled, thinking back to the time she had first smiled for him. Truly smiled. Before that, she had clawed for control and resisted his charms with every ounce of willpower she possessed. Every smile had been an assertion of her power. She had smiled to sneer. She had smiled as a sign of superiority. She had smiled in discomfort.

The memory that currently flooded David's mind was the first time she had smiled out of happiness in the moment. She had allowed herself to indulge in the companionship he offered her.

That was also the first time he kissed her.

* * *

 _David was late. He had a date with Regina. Regina, of course, insisted it was just a dinner between friends. Said dinner just happened to be a picnic. At night. In the park. Just the two of them._

 _Right when David had been heading out the door of the animal shelter, a mousy-looking young woman had walked in with her dog. She was clearly upset, agitated almost to the point of hysteria. Apparently, her dog Skipper had been chasing a rabbit through the backyard. The gate had not been properly closed. The rabbit had shinnied between fence posts and escaped. Skipper had dashed after the rabbit, through the open gate, and down the street. The rabbit had made it to the woods with Skipper close behind. The young lady - David found out Molly was her name - had found her spirited pet lying at the outskirts of the forest with a nail in his paw. The poor animal's injured appendage was bloody and mangled. The nail had not only deeply pierced the skin, but the nasty fall had broken Skipper's leg. It took David a good hour to take care of the dog._

 _Rushing out of the shelter, David checked his wristwatch. It was quarter till eight. Looking down at his old jeans and ragged flannel shirt, he sighed. He had planned on going home to shower and change into something nicer, but this would have to do. He would be at the park on time if it killed him!_

 _Regina still insisted on being mannerly and professional toward him most of the time. The other day, he had tripped suddenly as they were walking down the sidewalk in town. He managed to catch her chuckling when she thought he wasn't looking._

 _Ever since that day, David found himself drifting off at work, thinking of the captivating woman and her gorgeous face. He hoped he would soon get the chance to see her full-blown smile or hear her laugh. He craved it. He wanted to unravel her mysteries and know her vulnerability. He wanted to share with her everything that made him happy and be allowed the gift of her reciprocation._

 _David knew that at this rate, he was quickly beginning to see her as more than a friend. In fact, he knew it was already impossible – at least on his part – to ever want to be just friends with this stunning woman. Since she had rescued him – for the second time – five weeks ago, they had spent every day together. At first, it was all his doing. He was so grateful to have been awoken from the coma and wanted to thank his guardian angel._

 _The nurse had informed him upon his waking that his companion – 'is she your wife?' – had arrived with the EMTs and had refused to leave his side for the entire first night. The doctor fought with her for a good ten minutes, insisting that she leave since she was not family. Under no circumstances would she be admitted into the O.R! The nurse had taken pity on the distraught woman, thinking her to be a girlfriend or lover, and had offered to call the woman on a weekly basis to give her an update on his progress. Four months passed. Six weeks ago, the doctor detected brain activity on a routine brain scan. Regina was called and drove to the hospital as soon as the phone call ended. She convinced the doctor that she was the patient's girlfriend and that she would not leave. The doctor relented. The nurse told David that she had come by daily for a week to hold his hand and talk to him. On the seventh day, he woke up._

 _David remembered waking up – just barely. He could almost recall her sweet scent. Apples and cinnamon. Her dark hair had been draped over his shoulder, and he had inhaled her intoxicating scent. And if this recollection was not a figment of his imagination, she had been kissing him when he woke up. He was convinced this kiss woke him up._

 _Her smell and her hair – and her kissing him! – was all he had been able to think about. Who was this woman who had appeared in his life and saved him?_

 _The Jonesboro police informed him that they had responded to a 911 call. When they arrived on the scene, the woman who had placed the call, one Regina Mills, had been kneeling beside him on the ground. She insisted on riding with him in the ambulance. Then he was taken to the nearest hospital._

 _The day after he gained consciousness, he had been eager to leave his hospital bed, find this mystery woman, and repay her for her valiant efforts. The nurse was kind enough to give him the address the woman had left her. The first stop David made upon checking out of the hospital was the florist._

 _Regina had come back from lunch that day. She opened the door to her modest hotel room only to find the most beautiful bouquet of orchids. The card read: "Angel, the idea that I had almost died has played upon my mind. One doesn't often consider his or her mortality. Even more, I ponder what kind of beautiful guardian angel I have been given who saved my sorry life. I am forever in your debt and would consider it my privilege to meet you and thank you in person." At the bottom of the card was the name of a nearby diner and a time – 5 p.m._

 _That day was the beginning of David's new life. He could not remember any part of his life before the accident. Frankly, he did not care – not one bit. That meeting in that diner that night had been the beginning of his life. His Angel – his Regina – had been all the purpose and knowledge in his life that he needed. At first, he had been shocked by her poise and striking physical appearance but even more so with her withdrawn and almost cold personality. Since then, he had expended much effort to crack her carefully constructed walls, and David thought he had succeeded for the most part in making her feel comfortable around him._

 _Back in the present, David hopped into his pickup truck and sped toward the park. When he arrived, he found Regina sitting daintily on the hood of her Mercedes, looking out over the park and at the glorious skyline with its setting sun. The sky's canvas offered a warm glow of pinks, purples, and oranges – a picture of beauty, just like its viewer. David's breath caught. He was entranced by this fiery, yet often scared-seeming vixen. He started walking toward her._

 _Without even turning from her perched position, Regina murmured, "It seems as if the evening sky has come to welcome us. I wish you could see the world from Storybrooke, just as it is right now."_

 _David indeed wished he could follow his friend – quickly becoming the object of his affections and desires – to her beloved hometown of Storybrooke. He wished he could spend every evening gazing up at the vision of nature's beauty with the beauty beside him. He sat down next to her._

 _There was so much he wanted to say. His head was pounding with anticipation. His heart threatened to burst, ready to launch his mouth into voicing numerous proclamations that he knew Regina was not ready to hear. He did not want to scare Regina off, but he could not stop himself. David was not a cowardly man. He knew what he wanted. He knew now was the time to tell – if not everything, he would tell her something meaningful._

" _I want nothing more to see your world. Your Storybrooke. I know we practically just met. Five weeks. Or five and a half months if you want to be technical. But when we're together, it feels as if we have been together forever. Don't laugh at me. It's probably stupid, but I think we were meant to be together. Why else would a stranger save me and stick by me? Why else would we be such good friends now? You know, I could've thought you were a creepy obsessed person with that kiss you gave me."_

 _David chuckled. Regina laughed._ The first time she laughed. Now I will never go a day without making that woman laugh. It is criminal for that infectious sound to go unheard, _David thought. Every second, every sound, every look on her face… those were the things that were priceless to David._

" _You have given me so much. You have given me my life back. I believe Fate has brought us together. We are here and now. Not in the past." David stared at her pointedly. He knew her moments of silence, heavy looks into space, and heartbreaking sighs spoke to a painful past._ Someday, I will take that pain away from her. Someday, she will feel safe enough with me to let me know all of her and to share the burden of every sorrow she bears.

 _Regina was staring down at the glossy finish of her Mercedes. David brought a finger under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze._

 _Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears._

" _Regina, you make me want a future. A future with you. I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm not even asking you to be my girlfriend at this point. I place every decisions in your hands. Whenever you are comfortable, I say yes. Without you, I would literally be dead. I have no life outside of you, and I don't really care. If you want to go back home without me, I understand. I know I am probably just some stranger that you saved. Or maybe a friend you would maybe still be willing to exchange emails with? But I see you as my future. Whatever you choose to do, choose a happy life. Be happy. Don't think about your past. Know that you are a beautiful, strong, exciting woman who has the world at her feet. You can do anything. If you say yes, I will never leave your side. I will follow you to Storybrooke. If you don't want to return, we could pack up our bags and see the world! Heck, if you wanted, I would even stay in Jonesboro with you forever."_

 _Regina was again looking down. David sighed. He would not let go so easily. He plowed on – even if a bitter end was waiting for him when he was finished._

" _I think I am falling in love with you. I know that probably scares you. It scares me, too. It only scares me because I do not know what I would do with myself if you were not around. I work in that pet store, and all I do is think about you. Now I am the over-obsessed one. I will let go if you tell me to. We can part ways and know that we made a friendship for life. We can never see each other again. Say the words and I will walk away. Just don't make me."_

 _David turned away, looking at the sky. He did not know how he would ever be able to walk away. To pretend he had never met this woman who had changed his life. How had he fallen in love with someone in five weeks?!_ I will never forget her, as long as I live, _David solemnly vowed. He gulped and waited for the final crushing blow._

" _I'm not."_

 _David averted his eyes from the sky and once again met her eyes. She was looking at him dead in the eyes. Her soulful coffee-colored orbs pierced the depths of his being._

" _What?"_

 _Regina grabbed his hand. "I am not making you walk away." She smiled. "I want the same thing. I am scared. I admit it. My past… I… But you make me not afraid. You know me. That scares me but also makes me believe again in the future. I have been happy with you these last few weeks. I cannot even remember the last time before you when I was truly happy. If you want to be with me, I could never stop you."_

 _David did not think. He was beyond joyful or happy at her response. His heart pinged with something unrecognizable. Something warm, comforting, safe, exhilarating, celebratory, emotional, and all-encompassing. He was not able to place it at that moment, but it would not take him long to call that feeling 'love.'_

 _He seized the moment. David leaned in and kissed her with all the passion and hope he was feeling. Her soft, plump lips felt perfect under his. Their kiss was full of wonder and freedom, the symbol for the mutual future they both desperately desired. Their lips moved soundlessly against each other. The kiss remained chaste. This was their first kiss, and Regina still felt hesitant about her newfound happiness. But it felt right. For the first time in her life, Regina felt none of the baggage of her past. She was free to be happy. Perhaps if she told herself enough, she could forget and let David just be with her. Maybe even love her._

 _The kiss came to its natural end. David wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest. Regina accepted the embrace and hid her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder. She started sobbing._

" _Oh, darling, what is it? Is everything all right? You're not regretting it now, are you? It's going to be fine. Trust in me," David murmured soothingly._

 _Regina brought her head up. David almost jumped, shocked by what he saw. There was no frown, no downcast expression, no touch of even the sadness he expected. Her face lit up. David could only describe what he saw as the moment he saw Regina come to life._

 _Indeed, she was alive. Her body had jolted with the love she felt coming from David. She knew she had found what she had been looking for her entire life. The death of Daniel had destroyed any hope she had for happiness. Her hope for freedom had been crushed long before that by her mother. David's impassioned speech, followed by the kiss and hug, had shredded every piece of her past that weighed down on her spirit. Of course, she would always second-guess her happiness. She had gone too long without it. Sometimes, in those early years, she would even question David's sincerity. But in her heart, Regina knew that she had found her happy ending._

 _If only she could hold onto it. If only the Curse never had to be broken._

" _David, I am perfect! I am excited! I think I am falling in love with you, too. I have never felt this way before. You make me feel wanted and safe."_

 _She scooted over and nestled herself back into David's arms._

" _Come to Storybrooke with me."_

 _David did not even have to consider his answer. "Yes!"_

 _As much as it pained her to ask him, she did it. What Regina really wanted was to take David up on his offer to travel the world. Move far away from Storybrooke, forget about the Enchanted Forest and all of her sordid past there, and embark on her new life with her David. Her pragmatic side interrupted the dream of leaving it all behind and forced her to play it safe. She had to continue playing mayor and watching her town. She could not afford for the Savior to come to town in twenty-seven years and break the Curse. Especially now that she had found David!_

 _Regina had made her final decision._ We will return to Storybrooke, and I will make sure Snow White and her brat never come in the way of my happiness ever again!

* * *

Regina lay in her bed, thinking of the same memory.

 _That one decision was the worst I have ever made. Of course the Curse broke! It was prophesied. The Savior only filled her role. I should have moved away with David. Maybe then we could have been happier. Maybe we could have had a child. Maybe I could have forgotten my past and accepted his love with more ease._

Storybrooke and its inhabitants were the bane of Regina's existence. Even though the Curse wiped out their memories and altered their personalities, Regina remained unchanged. She was forced to live with constant reminders of her tenure as the Evil Queen and her many subjects that hated her. Those reminders had caused her insecurities and fears to reemerge often, causing many frustrations and fights between David and Regina. _Poor David. He was forced to fight me and my demons completely unaware of the situation. He had no knowledge that I was fighting his love because I knew that in a different situation, he would be fighting my love. Our marriage was the best it could be, but for me, the ghost of Snow was always plaguing my mind._

Regina started crying again. _All of those stupid, pointless fights. All of those wasted hours. I should have just let myself be happy those twenty-eight years while I had the chance._

 _Bring back my love. My David. Take me back to the start._

* * *

David could not go to sleep. Snow was breathing heavily. He knew she was sound asleep. He crawled out of bed as gently and quietly as he could. He stood up and made his way to the window.

From behind the thick glass, David could see most of Storybrooke. Granny's. City Hall. The police station. Archie's office. The forest. If he squinted, he could just barely see the mansion. He continued staring. Was that the outline of Regina on the front stoop?

 _Make this is all – especially the Curse breaking – just an ugly nightmare. Take me back to the start._

* * *

 **STORY NOTE - IMPORTANT: I will attempt to address comments/question pertaining to Regina and children, why or even if Regina did kill Graham, whether David cheated on Regina with MM, whether Regina cheated with Graham, and whether or not Regina and David had a relationship in the EF. Most of your questions, including these, will be cleared up later. One thing I will tell you is that Chapter 3's big fight was a fireworks display of emotions gone wild. Also, personal thoughts from the characters should be paid attention to. If you really are dying to know about some element of the story, PM me, and I might be willing to give you more hints. As for the negativity, if you hate David or don't think he is the one for Regina, keep reading or find something else. This fiction is drama to the max and will not pair Regina with anyone immediately. It is largely about how she copes with the destruction of a 25-year marriage. Whether or not she ends up with Robin or David is almost a side note to the internal struggles and character growth Regina will undergo. Thank you!**


	5. Burning Brightly in the Night

DISCLAIMER: Ruby quotes a small portion of Dylan Thomas's poem "Do No Go Gentle Into That Good Night." The poem used in the vows is an edited/amended version of Sonnet 43 "How Do I Love Thee?" from _Sonnets of the Portuguese_ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Both references are used purely for entertainment/educational purposes. I claim no creative rights for those portions.

* * *

Chapter 5: Burning Brightly in the Night

* * *

 _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

The sound of a tolling bell rang out from clock tower and resounded throughout the town. Midnight had struck.

Emma lay awake; she was totally freaked out by the idea that in one day, she had gained an insta-family. Of course she was close to Mary Margaret. She thought of the schoolteacher as a _sister._ She also couldn't fathom the situation between her 'parents.' Emma didn't like Mayor Mills very much, but she had known the frustrating woman to be the wife of David the entire time she had been in Storybrooke. One wave of creepy 'magic' and POOF! A married man left his wife and moved in to their apartment _and_ her roommate's bed. Did that make her parents adulterers? Henry always yammered on and on about the indestructible force of 'True Love' that Prince Charming and Snow White share, but it sure didn't seem like _true_ love to Emma if it involved breaking up a twenty-five year marriage – Curse involved or not.

Snow slept soundly, finding an inner tranquility that evaded her daughter and husband.

Beside his sleeping wife, David tossed and turned, not able to sleep or even seize a moment's rest because his mind, heart, and soul were filled with Regina. He was at war with himself.

His mind, aligned with the rigid uprightness of Prince Charming, was bashing him over the head and directing him toward the unbending black-and-white moral code that had existed in the Enchanted Forest. _Stay with Snow and Emma. They are your real family. Don't give another thought to Regina. She's evil._ He hated to say it, but the spiteful voice that rang out in his head sounded a bit like Henry. _"You're EVIL! I hate you!"_ How many times had David heard that from his 'son' and felt his heart break because those words were directed at his wife – Henry's mother? Now he himself was thinking those words – feeling those words.

His heart, however, had evolved and remained fused to the twenty-five-year life that belonged to David Nolan. This fully developed part of himself was ceaselessly pleading with him to recognize _every_ second of his life – to look past the stone cold facts and consider the real feelings he was holding for Regina. People can change their marital status, their emergency contacts, their bed partners, and those they talk to. One cannot change one's memories, one's feelings, and the person to whom one's heart calls. Those are immovable. Perhaps memories fade, feelings fade, and a heart changes over time. But their truth is forever written – infinite like the stars in the sky.

That was where David was looking now. He was enacting one of those pitifully clichéd traditions found all too often in romantic comedies. He gazed at the stars, wondering if Regina was looking at the same piece of sky from across town. The problem was that his concentration was broken by his thoughts and his battle to fight those thoughts – thoughts of the temptress, wife, and beautiful life partner he had thrown away in a solitary second at the diner earlier that day. His mind kept him in check, as he did not evacuate the apartment like a fool in a mad rush and run over to the mansion to beg her forgiveness. No. Prince Charming was too much of an obstinate, self-righteous, and prideful fool to do any of those things. His cowardice and blind sense of betrayal were the most anchoring of factors.

His heart _did_ have just enough sway to distract his gaze away from the twinkling celestial bodies and toward the place he called home only the night before. David almost did a double take when he glimpsed his raven-haired siren. At that moment, she looked so soft and still that he could've called her a shadow of the night. He denied this comparison because he knew she could never display the unobtrusive kindness of Mary Margaret or the boundless, aggressive affection of Snow. No. That was not the way of the Evil Queen, Madame Mayor Mills, or his Regina. His Regina cast a giant shadow. She was a beacon of steady strength and unwavering determination that burned brightly in the night. Her fire had never been consumed, and her zeal at chasing life was never abated.

Many fears had begun brewing within David since the Curse was broken, but the biggest was Regina. He feared that the fiery woman he loved had been snuffed out once and for all – by him.

* * *

On the other side of town, Regina did indeed stand quietly in the shadows of her home. Like a warrior defending her castle, she watched. She waited. Her house was all remained. Her son had left her. Her husband had abandoned her. She knew she was soon to be ejected from her position as Storybrooke's mayor. All she had to call her own were her white empty castle and her hard-forged identity.

 _What is David doing? Is he asleep? Is he thinking of me? Is he already settled into his new home with his new family and making love to his new wife – or should I say old wife? Has he forgotten me? What does he feel? Is he trapped in the prison that is his new reality? Like myself? Like other unfortunate townspeople thrust back into their old minds with changed hearts and new lives? Or does he, the noble Prince Consort of the White Kingdom and defender of all things Good against all things Evil, namely the Dark and Evil Queen, claim his new life with happiness and pride? Has he found the peace of mind that has escaped me – the peace that I have never even come close to grasping in my multiple lifetimes? Does he think of me? Or has our life together and love together already faded like a bad dream – a nightmare from which to escape and enjoy escaping?_

Regina walked to her beloved apple tree, caressing its branches as she wished she could still touch Henry and David. Her apple tree was the one tangible piece of her old life that actually gave her happy memories. Nothing of her 'new' Storybrooke life – nothing that gave her happiness – was within reach. She was comforted by her apple tree because it reminded her of her caring father and the few pieces of her childhood that had treated her kindly. That was all she needed of a land so far away, for she had divested herself of hope for a chance at happiness there. _Here_ she had lost herself in hope for the future. She had willingly drowned in the arms of David and had counted on him to always save her. He hadn't and was nowhere in sight. Because her life had been good, maybe even perfect, she had relinquished the idea of placing value on any inanimate objects. She cherished old photographs, her wedding video, Henry's school artwork, and precious jewelry David had given to her on anniversaries. They would always be bittersweet reminders of happier times. The problem was that as her faith and determination had been destroyed beyond recognition, so had her love of those objects. They meant nothing.

Whereas anger would have erupted in the Evil Queen, only a small stirring obliging her to take action flared. Her reactions and motivations may have changed over the years, but her instincts had not.

The former queen lifted her arms, palms pointed to the sky. She felt it once again. Magic.

With that old familiar friend creeping through her veins and swiftly gathering momentum in its charge, she thrust out her hands.

With one elegant sweep of her arms, the fire that had erupted only moments before arced and lit into the exterior of the white behemoth.

* * *

David was still committed to keeping watch at one of the loft's large windows. He saw his dark queen's motions, looking as if she was praising the sky. Then he felt his blood run cold.

Fire illuminated the night, burning radiantly against the looming façade of the mansion. The place he still called "home."

David couldn't believe Regina had done this! She was burning the mansion and everything within its hallowed walls. Every Valentino dress and Chanel suit. Every valuable antique curio. Every piece of rare collector's china. Every baby picture of Henry. Every sacred piece of decoration and souvenir from their wedding. Every single thing that belonged to him.

Every single thing… including _HIS BOOK_! The object in question was a leather-bound journal he owned; its pages held every significant milestone in their marriage and the few photos he stored over the years. He was willing to see their legitimate marriage be forgotten. He wouldn't even care if their house burned to a pile of ashes. What he was _not_ willing to do was lose that one priceless book that held the valuable scraps of his marriage to Regina. Even if their love was tarnished and ravaged, destroyed at the hands of Regina, he would _NOT_ stand by and watch the memory of the love they once shared be totally wiped out of existence.

"Oh no! Oh no! OH NOOO! What are you thinking?! What have you done?! REGINA! What have you _DONE?!_ "

Whilst exploding with no care to who heard him or whom he woke, David screamed and cursed and ran back and forth through the loft, hurriedly collecting his shoes and jacket. Just as he reached the door, Snow sleepily meandered out of the bedroom, reaching for his his arm.

"What's wrong, David? Where are you going?" She yawned.

"REGINA IS BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN!"

With that, he sprinted out of the apartment to his truck and drove with a lead foot on the gas pedal toward the Mills mansion.

* * *

Regina stood by her apple tree, looking on with bleary eyes at the horrific yet eerily poetic scene ahead of her.

 _I say goodbye to my marriage. Goodbye to David and Henry. Goodbye to the life of Mayor Mills. I am all that I have left. I will not live with empty lies and silence. I burn this house, signifying the ending of an era, and go forward, marching on as always. I shall never stop fighting, even if the fight has long ago gone out of me. Though my fight is gone and my love has been taken, I will stand with dignity and march onward as I have my whole life._

She was so caught up in her personal farewell and her mental hardening of resolve that she neglected to take note of the tears rolling down her stricken face. Nor did she notice the figure taking in the scene from across the street.

"Regina…"

Regina did not have to turn. The action was unnecessary. The acknowledgement was there without being voiced or seen. She would have known that voice anywhere.

"Ruby."

Her whisper seemed to echo down the street, carrying over the dull roar of the sizzling flames.

Ruby made her way slowly across the dark road and came to stand alongside the other brunette.

"You've ended it, huh?"

Regina pivoted her head only an inch. "You would be the one who is here now. The one who understands." The tragic woman returned her gaze to the ongoing destruction.

"I _do_ understand. I like to think we are sisters. Of like mind and spirit. Our hearts speak the same language."

"Yes. That they do."

Silence fell again. There was no further elaboration needed. No more tears on Regina's part. No words of comfort offered by Ruby. Only the shared security and familiarity of silence.

They watched as the mansion's white exterior charred, smoked, and eventually caved inward. The inferno raged on like a lion hunting its prey. The gray-black plumes of smoke billowed all around, oddly pushing the saddened mayor's mind to think of history and atomic bombs – "Little Boy" and "Fat Man."

Indeed, Regina knew the history of the United States. It was her country – not that she felt a familiarity or a nationalistic pride. No. She logically knew that was where she lived and wanted to be informed. Early on in the Curse, Regina took many online courses and earned numerous college degrees. One of her four doctorates was in history. She had done her doctoral dissertation on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – how they psychologically affected humans on a global scale and how those psychological shifts would alter the political decision-making for years come.

 _Yes. Today is my own personal August 6, 1945. One person lives in victory. One person has died, obliterated from the face of the earth. I, however, am not willing to follow Fate or Storybrooke's perfect plot for my demise. I choose my own destiny. I play both roles – I take all parts. David may have gunned for me, but I burned my own house down. He has no power over me anymore._

"You know… I once had to read this one poem in high school," stated Ruby with consternation. "What was it called? Hmm… I guess I don't remember. Anyway, it was Dylan Thomas. I hated it then, but I guess it serves it purposes. It was about right now. It was for me to tell you this. Let's see… It goes like this: 'Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'"

Regina's solemn pondering at the beginning of Ruby comments quickly transformed into a pained half-smile. By the time she was done, both she and Ruby were tearing up from their violent burst of laughter.

"I guess you don't do things in half measures, do ya? Was your realtor greedy with commissions, and you decided not to sell?" Ruby elbowed Regina lightheartedly, only to set off another bout of shared giggles.

"What in the world do you think you are doing?! REGINA!"

Regina rolled her eyes. Quickly slamming her cold and detached mask down, Regina spun to face her irate husband.

"I was getting a bit cold in the house – being alone and all. So I decided to light a fire," Regina shrugged, as if she was without a care in the world. After she grabbed her wolf friend's strong bicep, the two paraded defiantly past the miffed man.

David tried to grab Regina's free arm and shake some answers out of her, but just as he tried to do so, she flicked her wrist. The two women were gone.

* * *

Ruby stumbled from the sudden landing. Even Regina had to steady herself against a nearby table to keep from falling. _I can't believe this hiatus away from magic has made me such a baby!_

Ruby looked around. She puffed out the breath she had been holding, satisfied by the secure location Regina had brought them to – the diner. "Thank goodness you brought us here! Granny would've come out after me if I had been gone any longer. Also, I'm a little relieved that your magic didn't drop us somewhere weird – like the woods."

"I'll have you know, Ruby Lucas, that I have my magic under perfect control! When we were in the Enchanted Forest, I was the most powerful sorceress in the realm, excusing possibly Maleficent." She stared for a minute at her good friend and then released a chuckle. "Actually, I was aiming for your bedroom, but this will do."

Ruby grinned in amusement but then inched closer to the powerful queen. Joking aside, Regina was _not_ all right. Any smile she pulled looked… off. The wolf studied her friend's face. What she saw both saddened and alarmed her. The bloodless appearance of the skin. The deep lines etched into a furrowed brow. The sorrowful, haunting listlessness that dwelled in the depths of dark eyes.

Ruby knew this was beyond grief for a lost lover or husband. This was devastation. Never in her many years – both on the run from the Evil Queen and in friendship with Regina Mills – had she _ever_ seen such a barrenness of life in her friend. David had laid waste to all that was Regina, and no remnant of the once audacious, vibrant woman was left in his wake. The younger woman was desperately scared for Regina. She didn't know what to do.

"Hey." Ruby lightly nudged Regina's shoulder.

"Hey, yourself."

A constrained yet intimate smile full of safety and reassurance passed between the two. Neither woman was in the mood for a heavy heart-to-heart. They simply chose to savor the silent connection between friends – between sisters.

"How about you go up to my room? You can borrow pajamas and get comfy. I'll go check in with Granny. Or do you want me to stay with you?"

"I'm fine." Regina offered a wan smile, an attempt at reassuring her always-faithful friend.

"You sure? Do you need anything?" Ruby asked, hesitating in the back doorway.

"Go on, wolf pup."

The queen swatted her wolf. The slim waitress only chuckled and hastily made it out the door, throwing a last teasing wink at the striking but currently weakened woman.

 _What in the world would I do without that girl in my life? I can barely remember a time when she was not there…_

After a few minutes, Regina followed Ruby's instructions and picked her way up the stairs of the inn to the wolf's inner sanctum. Once again alone, with her thoughts and silence, she wallowed in the peace. The small bedroom was dark but tidy, and the streetlamp from below cast light and long shadows on the rose-laden wallpapered walls.

The brunette wandered slowly through the bedroom. She yawned. Suddenly, all her burdens of the day hit her like a freight train in the form of intense fatigue. The small queen was quickly overcome by exhaustion and fell prey to much needed deep sleep.

When Ruby returned ten minutes later, she found Regina curled up into a fetal position, sleeping soundly on top of the covers. The younger brunette snagged one of Granny's thick hand woven afghans, laying it across the broken woman.

"Good night, my queen. May you have sweet dreams and a better tomorrow."

* * *

She awoke to the sound of muffled whispers. _Where am I?_

Regina sat up groggily, feeling rather disoriented. _This is not my bed. What did I do last night? Oh no! Was it the cider? David is going to kill me!_

Then she remembered. Memories of the worst day of her life – yesterday – flooded back to her. _David will do nothing. David has left me because the Curse is broken. He knows who I am. I can't take this!_

Pangs of heartbreak beat mercilessly at the queen in her weakened state. Her heart constricted in her chest, as she painfully digested the many harsh realities. _I never thought this day would come, and yet, I knew it would. Once again, I am alone in the world._

Regina squeezed her eyes shut, as if willing the world and its cruelty to go away from her. Then she recalled the hushed speaking she heard upon her waking. Upon opening her eyes, she spotted her two best friends sitting at the end of the bed.

"Ruby. Kat. Good morning," greeted the newly awakened woman – her voice gravelly and throat parched from the cool morning air.

Ruby squeezed Regina's hand, signaling her stand in friendly solidarity. Kathryn gave a quick doleful pouty face, which quickly morphed into a frown.

"Reg, I heard what happened. I am here because I am your friend and supporter. Whatever you need… you know? And I don't care about the Curse. Sure, it was a very stupid and malicious thing to do – at the time. But I, Kathryn _Nolan_ , support you, Regina _Nolan_ , also known as the arsonist."

Kathryn's face took on a wide, devilish smirk, a trademark of the indecorous and plucky blonde.

"For shame, Kat! For your information, my house was more beautiful last night than it has ever been! Anyway, it was high time I found a new house."

Regina's good humor was only a paper-thin veneer. Kat and Ruby could easily see through the Mayor's poorly executed bravado; however, both women decided to play along with the farce, as Regina's opportunity for a reprieve would be scarce in the coming days. The townspeople would be out for blood. The least they could do as friends would be to offer their queen solace – a safe haven from the vengeful people of Storybrooke.

"Seriously, girl, how are you feelin' this morning?"

Kat and Ruby both sent Regina a piercing glare, gentle but firm in expectation of a truthful answer.

"As good as it can get under these circumstances. Is that a satisfactory response for the two of you?" snapped Regina. She breathed out a heavy sigh. "I know you mean well, but I really do not need you both here to watch me. Ruby, can you check me into my own room? I would return to my own house, but… You know."

"Oh no you don't! We're not leaving until you talk! First, I want to know WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?! You burnt down the White House!"

Usually, Kat's explosions and her joke about the Mills mansion being the 'White House' would be met by the Mayor's guffaws and smirks – perhaps even some barbs or sparring from the fiery brunette. Today was different. The fearless leader of their trio was _not_ in the mood. Her soul was so battered, so burdened, and so tired. For once, she answered plainly and honestly.

"I truly do not know, Kat."

"Seriously, Reg? You don't know? _YOU_ DO NOT KNOW?! I find that shockingly hard to believe. Impossible, really. The Evil Queen never let anyone question her. Madame Mayor was never without an answer. My friend Regina would at least joke with me or reply with loaded sassiness. But this… I've never heard _this_. Whoa!" Kat exhaled with a surprised whistle.

"Fine, Kat. I burned down my house. So what? I am not crazy – if that's what you want to hear. I just feel so alone and without purpose. Almost dead. I lost Henry and now David. My big house and all my pretty things just didn't matter to me anymore, so I got rid of it all."

Regina acted like she had just been talking about the weather. The ever-graceful woman with a regal stature retreated to the bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror. She fiddled with a few stray locks and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Kat and Ruby stared incredulously after her retreating form, speechless at the inappropriate nonchalance.

"REG! Get back here!" Kathryn wanted to continue talking.

"Would you _PLEASE_ pipe down? Now what else would you like to know?" Regina walked out of restroom and back toward the bed, looking a bit like her sassy self. She then sat down. She made a point of stiffly crossing her legs and arms and directed wide eyes and an arched eyebrow at the blonde woman.

"I guess I'm done with questions. I really came here to make sure you were all right. Fine, not 'all right.' I meant… I wanted to help my lovely friend Regina. I also came to let you both know that an emergency town meeting has been called for today," Kathryn announced, first with kindness toward her friend and then disdain about the meeting.

"About me, no doubt!" Regina rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Yes. The dwarves and nuns – I guess they're back to being fairies now? – have been going around town door-to-door to inform people. The meeting will be at noon. _Everyone_ is expected to come. Apparently, you…" The blonde cast the Mayor a nervous glance. "Reg, you are not allowed to be there until one."

"How preposterous! This whole thing is going to be a mudslinging witch trial targeting me, and I am not even allowed to be there! Am I not allowed to defend myself? Do they expect me to go down without a fight? I am tired and sad and without a family. But I am NOT going to let them feed me to the dogs – especially not Snow – without so much as a peep from me!"

The outraged queen was getting worked up – forehead veins bulging and steam almost pouring from her ears.

Ruby hastened to present the upset woman some reassurance. "We will definitely be there to defend you, Regina. We are your friends. We love you and support you. We will always stick by you. Right, Kat?"

Kat nodded vigorously and continued for the taller brunette, "I know that the both of us will fight tooth and nail for you to be safe. None of those stupid townspeople will get within an inch of you, or SO HELP ME!"

Regina beamed. She genuinely felt deep love bubbling to the surface. Any depression, anxiety, or anger that her seconds before permeated her system came to a grinding halt at that moment. She took pride and joy in her friends – that they would display such loyalty and fierce devotion to her, the once Evil Queen.

"I totally agree with Kat. I will stop at nothing to help you, Regina. That being said, would you rather one of us stay with you?" Ruby knew what the answer would be – knowing Regina's pride and constant need to show strength. However, she couldn't help but recognize that Regina was _only_ a human being, and this particular human was a woman who was not only currently being put through the wringer but had already suffered so much loss and pain – much more than any person should be forced to bear.

"No. I will be fine. I think my best hope of surviving this lunacy would be for both of you to see what the townspeople are cooking up," Regina declared firmly.

"Ooh! We will get to be spies for you! This is probably the most fun I've had in ages! As a princess, Father never let me have any fun! I never would have thought in a million years that I would wind up best friends with the Dark Queen and a werewolf, living in another world, and living like a commoner!"

The women giggled.

"You know what else I simply cannot believe?!" Kathryn turned sharply toward Regina. One could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Her face resembled that of the Cheshire Cat. "I can't believe that you and I, Regina, are _friends_!"

"Isn't that what you already said?" Ruby looked absolutely stymied.

Regina, on the other hand, looked absolutely tickled and amused. "No, dear. She said that she, as Princess Abigail, would never have guessed that she would become friends with the Evil Queen. That is an Enchanted Forest matter. Her last statement was about Kathryn Nolan becoming friends with me, Regina Mills."

"Ohhhh. You mean because you seemed to be scary and intimidating as Mayor Mills?" Ruby smirked, thinking she knew just how that felt.

"Nope," replied Kat. "We're talking about _her_ affair with David."

"Not following…" said Ruby, in complete bewilderment.

"Ruby, have we never told you the story of how we met?!"

Regina and Kathryn then wandered into the recesses of their memories and dusted off the sordid tale of how enemies became best friends.

* * *

" _HOW DARE YOU!"_

 _As Regina opened her front door, a flying punch came flying into her face._

 _It had been only two days since David had moved out of Jonesboro and followed Regina to Storybrooke. The new couple had waited two weeks – two blissful weeks of many dates and kisses – since that fateful night of the picnic when they had proclaimed their love for one another. David had spoken the truth of his heart that night, and when the time came, he had no qualms about uprooting his life for the woman that had captivated and bewitched him. Yesterday, they made their unofficial announcement of their new relationship by having an intimate dinner together at Granny's diner. Apparently, word had spread throughout the small town. Kathryn was just one in a long line of people that had already dropped by the mansion to get the gossip on the Mayor and her new beau. Kathryn's intentions, however, were clearly less innocuous._

 _A closed fist landed a heavy blow to the mayor's cheek, making a slight cracking sound._

" _Who do you think you are, and why in the world are you here?!" Regina stared down the enraged blonde facing her._

 _The woman staring down the infamous but elusive Mayor of Storybrooke surged forward – charging over the threshold and into the foyer._

" _My name is Kathryn Nolan. I believe my husband David Nolan is here?" Kathryn continued walking with Regina hot on her heels. "David! David! DAVID! Get down here, RIGHT NOW!" Kathryn brazenly stopped in the study, living room, and kitchen, and then she proceeded toward the grand staircase._

" _Dear…" Regina's tone positively dripped with condescension and dismissiveness. "I know David. I would have called him. Now I will not. Do you realize that you are trespassing? You have also assaulted a private citizen – the Mayor, no less! I think now would be the perfect moment for you to make your exit," she hissed._

 _Kathryn would NOT bow down to this snotty woman._ Who does she think she is?!

" _I will not leave this house until I speak to him!"_

 _Regina grabbed Kathryn's arm and tried to shove her in the direction of the front door. The blonde would not be moved. "I will NOT ask you again. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I will call the Sheriff and ask him to escort you away – to a jail cell – if you will not leave the premises within the next ten seconds. Now leave, or you will be known as the criminal you are!"_

" _Criminal! I am the criminal?! What about YOU?!" Kathryn yelled in Regina's face, hitting Regina forcefully in the chest with both hands. "YOU are the home wrecking whore who has ruined my marriage. Granted, I know David is the one who was married. But you are supposed to be an upright leader and pillar of the community. Instead, you are an EVIL and conniving TRAMP who has seduced David away from me!"_

 _Kathryn's emotions got the best of her, earning Regina a hard SLAP!_

" _Enough! Who are you to invade my home, attack me, and defame my character! You are NO ONE!"_

" _I am NOT no one! I am a woman who deserves answers. I deserve to know why David left me! I deserve better than David had to offer me! I deserve to know why he chose a slut like you over me!"_

 _Regina had enough of this blonde wife-poser's accusations and heinous insults. She was just about to give Kathryn a taste of her own medicine in the way of physical attacks, when David finally appeared._

" _Listen, Kathryn. I-"_

 _David didn't get a chance to utter one more word. A right hook smashed into his jaw._

" _David!" Regina rushed over. She wrapped her right arm around her love and used the free arm to caress his injured jaw._

" _Kathryn, I deserved that – at least partly. I did not know we were married before now."_

You're not really, _Regina thought smugly._ Oh, Snow! She's so oblivious to her husband's revolving door of women. Hah!

" _I was in an accident about six months ago. I was found by the side of the road by Regina. She saved me. She called 911. When I got to the hospital, it didn't look good for me. I was in a coma for a little over four months. When I finally woke up, I didn't know anyone or anything about my old life. I only knew my Regina." David paused to gaze adoringly at Regina. The other woman standing nearby was fully aware of the deep love present in this one tender glance. "We got to know each other in Jonesboro, and I think I really love her. I'm sorry I forgot about you, Kathryn. I'm sorry I fell in love with Regina while I couldn't remember you. I wish I could do the right thing by you, but I can't. I am a different person. I don't have any of my memories and don't know if I will every get them back. Please try to forgive me or at least understand. If you can't do that, at least know that Regina has no part in this fight. She doesn't deserve ANY of your anger."_

 _Kathryn wouldn't buy David's apology, nor would she believe in Regina's innocence. Her eyes narrowed into slits. Her face hardened, looking cold and venomous._

" _David, WAKE UP! You may not ever remember me, but you shouldn't live your life as a fool! She is playing you. She is a cruel, malicious woman who is using you. SHE seduced YOU! You say she saved you? That means she found you – to trap you, David! DAVID! For heaven's sake! Get out before you let this witch make you into a two-bit man-whore and monster!"_

 _David marched forward until he was less than a foot in front of Kathryn._

" _I will only say this once. Never speak about Regina that way – in her presence or otherwise. She is a respectable woman, the mayor of your town, and a good person. She is the woman I love. I will not have you or anyone else slandering her! I have never and would never strike a woman, but you make it dangerously difficult for me not to break that rule. Leave NOW!" David's commanding tone thundered through the spacious mansion._

 _Kathryn knew she wouldn't win the fight that day. David was convinced and standing firmly on the side of Team Regina._

 _Before the jilted wife made it out the door, she turned to address her replacement. "Madame Mayor, know this. You will be found out for who you are! And when that day comes, I will be waiting for you!"_

* * *

By the end of the messy retelling of the story, all three women were laughing.

"I am so glad we worked it all out!" Kathryn shot Regina a warm smile of appreciation.

Regina hummed in agreement. "So am I, dear."

"You do know that I've changed my mind since then right? I mean, you've changed since you were the uptight, cruel woman that was initially the mayor. Or maybe you never were that as the Mayor. Maybe I was subconsciously reflecting on you as the Evil Queen. Whatever! One thing I do stand by is when I told you that I would be waiting. I am not holding a pitchfork, but I am here to be with you whenever you need me. I know this is a tough time, and you've got me."

Kathryn threw her arms around the imposing woman's small frame and hugged her tightly. She was taken aback by the ease with which Regina accepted the embrace but took it for all it was worth. _This is why I am friends with her! Little does anyone know, but that woman is such a softie!_

"Let me join in!" Ruby ran and pounced on her two friends. They held it for a second and then split with a chuckle.

"Oh my gosh! Your Curse is crazy, Reg! You do realize that because of it David has three wives!" Kathryn went into hysterics. When she finally was able to get her laughter under control, she continued. "Here I thought he was cheating on me, and then you thought he was cheating on you…"

"I do NOT want to talk about it!"

The room went silent.

Regina's outburst mollified Kathryn, who looked very remorseful. She bowed her head. "Reg, I'm really sorry. I won't bring it up ever again unless you ever want to talk about it."

"I accept your apology," Regina responded. "I'd appreciate that. Ruby, could I get that new room now? I want to get ready for the day. I also need to pick up a change of clothes from the office and buy some new makeup and necessities from the store. You both should be getting ready for the town meeting soon."

* * *

The whole town was indeed preparing for the emergency town meeting and bustling with gossip about what was to come.

David was one of the few that remained inactive. He sat motionless on his bed in the loft. He stared at picture after picture – contemplating the contents of the leather bound book.

 _The night before… Regina had just disappeared! In one lift of her hands, she engulfed the mansion in a blaze. In the next, she deserted David and left him to watch the flames tear down the structure he had called 'home' for more than two decades. David awakened from his stupor and remembered what gotten him so riled up in the first place – the book! He kicked in the front door and dashed inside the burning house – one of his upper arms wrapped around his face and pressed tightly to his nose and mouth. Sprinting into the study, he hurried over to a quickly crumbling bookshelf and pulled off the loose front panel near the floor. He grabbed the leather journal, tucked it under his arm, and flew through the self-destructing home like a man possessed. Once he made it back out through front doorway, he was met by the electrifying breeze of the nippy night air. At that moment, the entirety of the broken Curse, the ended marriage, the resumed other marriage, and the burned down hit him like a grenade. His insides felt like they were burning and coming apart. He gasped for air, falling to the ground and clawing for support. David fell hard onto his side. He tried to sit up but could not. With a dreadful screech, he wailed into the night. As the white manor behind him burned brightly in the night, he felt as if his world was ending._

The next morning, he still felt the same way. This time, he remained silent.

All of his crying and screaming had been spent the previous night when he had lain on the ground and pounded his fists into the solid, hard earth. He had sown his feelings, emotions, moans, cries, complaints, threats, hopes, longings, regrets, and all he had bottled up inside of him into the abyss of destruction that had surrounded him. He had lain beside the ruins of his past until nearly dawn. Then, David arose with a sense of despair and hopeless – but also with a feeling of finality. He felt he could do more and give no more. He then returned to the apartment.

This morning, David alternated between resting on the sofa and the bed. He did not want to wake Snow. He did not want her to see his special book. The leather tome was not something he was willing to share with anyone – not even Regina when they had been married. No. This was his alone. It was like a tangible piece of his heart and soul – his living memories.

He had spent the last five hours analyzing every detail of every photograph. He stared lovingly at his wife of so many years, trying to memorize every smile. Every twinkle in her eye. He saw the look of love present on his face in so many pictures and tried to remember the reason for _that_ particular look on _that_ particular day. Regina. She had been the light in his life, the fire in his soul, and the love in his heart. She had been _everything_. Secretly, David wondered if he'd every get that feeling of fullness back – if Snow would be enough. Every photograph both hurt him and healed him. The healing was like using duct tape to patch up a gunshot wound. But that was the best he could do.

The one set of pages he had tried to pass over and ignore was the first three. They were dedicated to one of the best days of his life – his wedding.

In his life, he had supposedly had three weddings. When he married Snow, they had held their nuptials at the palace in a flamboyant, ostentatious manner. After Kathryn warmed up to Regina, Kat eventually told him about their marriage. His second marriage had apparently – in fake Curse memories – happened as an elopement at a courthouse. There had been no tux or wedding dress and only cheap gas station mood rings. The only wedding that really meant something to him – that really stuck out in his mind – was his wedding to Regina. His third wedding? Third marriage? He never really had a marriage to Kat and couldn't even remember the details of the Curse. His marriage to Snow had been good but felt like a lifetime ago. Regina was plaguing his mind. His third wedding? His heart told him – his _only_ wedding.

David finally opened up the first three pages of the leather-bound notebook.

 _The emergency town meeting! I can't do this now._ He looked over at the radio alarm clock on the bedside table. _11:10. I am giving myself thirty minutes. No more._

Then he got sucked in. David eyes were immediately drawn to Regina. On that first page was one large photo of David and Regina receding back up the aisle after the ceremony ended. There were other photos, but his eyes remained glued to that big one. His hand caressed her face and body with reverence, as if he was touching his wife once again in real life. His heart skipped a beat. _She is so beautiful! How did I get so lucky!_

David was so awestruck by the raven-haired beauty that he had fallen in love with – the one in the photograph – that he failed to notice the woman beside him in bed. The one now sitting up and looking at him. David got caught in the whirlwind of memories from one glorious day twenty-five years ago.

* * *

There she is! My bride!

 _David stood in position at the altar, beaming like an addict hopped up on drugs. He was addicted to that woman coming down the aisle toward him._

 _She looked magnificent – a vision of perfect beauty in white. The off-white gown was almost as exquisite as its wearer. The prevalent material had a gauzy, sultry appearance that nicely complemented the areas of lace that were provocatively used like a sleeveless top and gloves on the long-sleeved dress. The train angled out near the bottom delicately with a lace overlay, giving the dress a subtle mermaid effect. The overall picture was a very slim-fitting gown that perfectly encased Regina's slender but femininely curvy figure. Despite the bountiful lace and plunging neckline, the wedding gown looked almost Victorian on the bride, highlighting her sophisticated yet mysterious nature._

 _David only gave the dress a quick look before his eyes settled on the angelic face of his lovely bride. Perfection. Her lips were painted in the deepest shade of burgundy. Her face was smoothly coated with pale powder. Her eyes were only lightly done, with darkly coated lashes and lightly lined but dramatic eyeliner. Her face was that of a hauntingly striking angel. His beautiful angel._

 _He almost wanted to run down the aisle to greet her. David's impatience was consuming him. Regina's soulful eyes called to him. His heart was beat the pace of a jackrabbit running. His arms longed to sweep her up and run to a place for them alone. The only thing that stopped him was the thought that in only a few minutes, they would be married. Regina would be his wife!_

 _She finally made it to him._

 _Regina's eyes locked on David. It was like they were seeing each other for the first time. Her pupils dilated. Not in lust or anxiety. It was as if for the first time, she was a living and breathing human. David made her feel alive. He gave her hope. She had felt like she had been suffocating in her own life full of beatings and isolation, and David saved her._

 _In that moment, Regina almost cried. She wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him and never let him go. He would never know how much she praised the heavens that he had come into her life._

 _The minister said some words. David and Regina did not hear him. They didn't even look at him. All attention was focused on each other. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. On that wedding day, David and Regina gazed into each other's eyes and saw their soul's twin. Their souls were filled with hope for the future and faith in the other. They were full of bravery to walk through life together no matter what would happen. Never had there been two people more fully committed, with hearts and souls in sync. They were soul mates come together – let no man put asunder – in that moment._

 _The time came. David had insisted they write their own vows. Regina initially refused. As David knew, she hated speaking her feelings. She especially hated public shows. Regina insisted that they would recite the traditional vows and speak their hearts to each other in private. David said no. He wanted the whole world – or at least the small congregation present at the church – to know how much he loved Regina Mills – to be Regina Nolan. After many days of bickering, Regina eventually conceded. She made no promises about how good her vows would be._

 _But now the time had come. David went first._

" _Regina, I woke up two and a half years ago. I had no idea who I was, what I wanted in life, or where I had been. But then I met you – the mysterious dark-haired angel who had saved me. You rescued me from death and whatever life I had before you, and you gave me everything in its stead. I can never give you what you have given me, but I will try every day of my life to give you everything I have. So I promise, Regina Maria Mills, to love you every day of my life. I promise to never love another. To love you and only you. To tell you I love you every day of my life. To spend time with you, kiss you, and hug you every day. I promise to make you feel never alone. To bring you happiness and laughter. I will treasure you, cherish you, and always want you. I will never let you go. I will love you as long as I live – forever. 'And if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.'"_

 _David's infinite promises would have felt impossible to Regina, had she not spent the last two and a half years with this man. But he had proved to her, time and time again, through every fight and insecurity, that he would keep his promises and stand by her side. Her rational more cynical head told her to stop. It reminded her of Storybrooke, Snow, the hate Prince Charming holds for the Evil Queen, and how unlovable she is. Stop the wedding before it's too late! Walk away before he kills you and anything you have left of that young little girl full of hope! But David's words had empowered her to fight those doubts one last time – if only for a moment._

 _David looked on as Regina pulled out notecards from a hidden pocket in the folds on the back of her dress. She glanced at them and tucked all but one back in the pocket. Clearing her throat, she flitted her eyes over the small crowd and then hesitantly at David._

" _David, I love you. More than I ever thought possible. I'd never hoped for anything with you. I thought I knew what I was getting. What I planned. But I got something else. Something much more. More scary and real but also more beautiful and perfect and loving than I could have ever imagined. I cannot give you much. Not as much as you can give me. I hope I am enough for you, David."_

 _Regina ended her vows in a whisper, as if afraid for the airwaves to hear her hope to live a life of love and happiness._

 _David was astonished. What had happened?! He knew from all of their moments in private that she loved him. She loved him deeply; he knew that. But those vows shook him to the core. The ending sounded as if she expected herself to fail – to force David away. What was she hiding? What was she expecting to happen with dread?_

 _The minister continued until…_

" _Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or_ _forever hold your peace."_

 _The silence – which David expected to continue – was interrupted by Regina._

" _I object."_

 _Those terrible words were said with a firm and stead conviction._

 _David placed both of his hands gently on Regina's forearms, turning her to face him. Her chin was quivering and resting on her chest. Her eyes were downcast. She was crying lightly with tears streaming down her face, neck, and chest._

" _My darling, we are getting married. We are going to spend our lives together. What is it? Why are you objecting now? Why have you changed your mind?"_

 _Regina slowly looked up at him and then quickly looked away. "I have not changed my mind, but you will."_

" _I would never-"_

 _Regina cut off his objections. His vows of fidelity and eternal love mocked her, playing like a broken record in her head. She shut her eyes and said what she wanted – what she had written on the other notecards – from her heart._

" _ **David, my love…"**_

 _She gasped for breath and wiped her tears, finally lifting her head fully to look him dead in the eye._

" _ **I feel as though I have traveled many worlds and many lifetimes just to be with you. All I have ever wanted was you – even before I knew you. My parents could not teach me how to fully love. I had a love… but he was taken from me. I spiraled into darkness, never being able to find hope to live again. I was so angry, but more than that, so frightened. Today, I am still frightened. I look at you, and I see my soul mate, my true love, my lover, my partner in life, my best friend. Your vows… they moved me so dearly because I have never been promised such love and devotion. No one has ever thought me enough or even able to love. I am so frightened because I fear that I can never be what you deserve and what you need. But I am selfish. I will not run away because I love you with every breath that my body can take. I think that every second that I live since I have met you is only because of you. For you. I would want to die if I could no longer be with you because you are everything. You quoted Browning to me. Now I will do so for you – only you.**_

' _ **How do I love you? I truly cannot count the ways. I love you to every depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace. I love you to the level of every day's most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love you freely. I love you purely. I love you with passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love you with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints. I love you with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.'**_

 _ **My love, there is nothing that can tear me away from you. Nothing can turn my heart away from your love. I know now that I will spend the rest of my days loving you, in love with you, if you will let me."**_

 _Regina stopped. Her voice cracked. Another stream of tears silently burst from her beautiful dark eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She recomposed herself and carried on._

" _ **I give my entire being to you, David Richard Nolan, to love, cherish, protect, and keep. You are mine, and I am yours, for as long as you will have me. Even if we should ever be parted, know that my soul and heart shall always be yours. I pray that you never forget me, my love. You are my forever love, and I only hope and pray that I can always be yours. I know how I sound, but I have full faith in our love – the love that we share. Hope for our future together! I will love you until my dying breath, and if God choose, I will draw my last breath at your side and then love thee better after death."**_

* * *

Those words – the ones his Regina spoke to him in a devout whisper during the objections – were the words that took up the second and third pages of his book. Reading them back, he now realized that they held so many hints, so many mentions of their truth and their history. She had begged him for his eternal and unwavering love. He had promised. But he had not _known_.

They both entered their marriage with all the love they could give, but their vows were soiled by the many lies they told. Lies by her then. His promises then made lies by his actions now.

He could not think on the tragedy of their love story. No matter the current situation, their love had been nearly perfect, just as her objection vows had been. David had spent multiple nights clandestinely watching their wedding tape, trying to make out word-for-word what Regina had said, as he had hurriedly written down what he could barely hear. This was his labor of love. He had gladly done the job because those solemnly and quietly spoken words from his bride meant the world to him. Her love was all that had mattered to him, and he treasured one of the few times in their married life when she had revealed every piece of her heart to him.

"What is that?"

David jumped at the surprising interruption. Snow was still sitting there nearly twenty minutes later, staring at him with unending questions in her gaze.

"Nothing. It's just a little notepad I keep that I write down lists… and um… notes and reminders and stuff," replied David at a rapid pace, clearly incredibly uncomfortable and flustered at having been caught.

"Okay," Snow said disbelievingly. She filed that tidbit – particularly the overall existence of the mysterious book – in a mental file that she knew she would soon have to investigate.

Snow then changed the subject, saying, "The emergency town meeting is soon. We need to get ready. I'm going to call Emma. You can use the bathroom first."

Snow got out of bed, grabbed her phone from her nearby purse, and walked into the common living room area.

David remained on the bed for a moment. His heart was beating furiously at the close call. He tried desperately to steady his breathing and his pulse.

 _In,_ _1…2...3… and out, 1…2…3. Calm down, David._

 _Get your mind off the wedding._

 _Off Regina._

 _T_ _hink about Snow._

 _Think about the meeting._

He once again hardened himself and closed himself off to any lingering love or thought of a future attached to Regina.

 _She stole me away for twenty-five years. Now is the time for me to live my life with Snow!_

David repeated these thoughts over and over to himself, just barely ignoring the deafening doubt that asked, _Are you sure that is what you want?_


End file.
